We all want to go somewhere, do something. It doesn’t take a neuroscientist to tell us we crave purpose, a purpose bigger than ourselves. We pound on our holy scriptures and plead with the Almighty, Show me why you put me here on this earth! What is my purpose here?!
We list all the possible life destinations: doctor, teacher, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and if we really love Jesus, we seek out church ministry: preacher, evangelist, worship leader. Our purpose is not clear, or maybe it is, but it’s not what we expected it would be, and then we wonder if we got on the wrong purpose boat.
We dabble in this. We stick our toe in that. We long for a Jesus crystal ball, so he can show us where the heck we’re supposed to go with this one life we’ve been given. Sweet Jesus, just show me which road to take! I mean, I love you, Jesus, so shouldn’t it all make sense now? It’s not clear, so we wander aimless, and days turn into years.
We get that degree that promised purpose and direction, only the job never opened up. The dream career never came, so we wander aimless, and days turn into years.
We get married and start a family. Now little people join our wandering. Now what? How am I supposed to show these kids what they need to do when I can’t figure out my own life! Maybe I missed my purpose, but at least I can show them theirs. We fill our lack of purpose with our children, and we wander aimless, and days turn into years.
We decide to take a step back. We look at the bigger picture. We see heaven, the glorious afterlife, and since life on earth feels somewhat like a crapshoot, we figure that’s the purpose we’re looking for. It will all make sense when we get to the other side, so we wander aimless, waiting for our Promised Land, and days turn into years.
Except, I believe we’ve been asking the wrong question. We don’t need to ask, What is my purpose? You see, we already know our purpose, because we all have one purpose; the same purpose. Our purpose here on this earth is
To love God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. Plus, love your neighbor as yourself.
That’s it. That’s our purpose here on earth, but we each manifest that Love in different ways, according to the desires of our hearts, and the different seasons of our lives. Maybe you manifest your love through the medical field or childcare. Maybe your heart desires to see the wonders of the world, and from those desires you manifest your love through travel. Maybe you manifest your love through art, song, party planning, dancing, fighting against cancer, or landscaping. Whatever makes your heart beat faster, is what makes God’s heart beat faster. Those things that make you come alive aren’t separating you from God, they’re uniting you with him.
This is a game changer. If we’re no longer looking for a mystical pot of purpose gold, then it’s no longer about a destination or a thing, and if our life goal is no longer to discover our purpose, then what is it really about?
The journey.
The more I open myself up to a life of whole-heartedness and Love, the more I am discovering that our focus needs to be on the journey. We need to find the beauty, the happiness, and Love in the right now, because this moment is all we’re promised. It’s never been about the destination, but rather it’s about the journey with Love.
Love calls to us, “Arise, come, my darling; my beautiful one, come with me.” {Song of Songs 1:13} His desire is to delight in us, his purpose for us is for us to love him on this journey called life. That’s what brings him the greatest delight.
So, for the next 31 days, I’m linking up with the Nester at Write 31 Days, and everyday I’m going to write about
Falling in Love with the Journey
Will you join me here? I’m not sure what it will look like or what we’ll discover in the next 31 days of October, but no matter what we discover, I just hope we learn to fall in love with the journey.
Also, feel free to download October’s computer and phone wallpapers (You can still get August and September, too).
Download “Come With Me” Computer Wallpaper >> [easy_media_download url=”https://charitycraig.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Come-with-me-Wallpaper.jpg” text=”Download Now” force_dl=”1″ color=”pink”]
Download “Come With Me” Phone Wallpaper >> [easy_media_download url=”https://charitycraig.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Come-With-Me-Phone-wallpaper.jpg” text=”Download Now” force_dl=”1″ color=”pink”]
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This post is part of #write31days
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You are such an inspiration! You are still my favorite blog to read, hands down! I will totally be here cheering you on every day!
Thank you so much, Cristina! You have the gift of encouragement. I know you will be behind me this whole month cheering me on! 🙂
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