Always more. no. 5, purpose
- Christine DiGiacomo
- 6 hours ago
- 4 min read
She was pretty, petite, blonde, athletic, a Christian and about 36 years of age. By just about everyone’s measuring stick, she was a successful woman--a marathon runner, wife and mother of two lovely children, and an intelligent, engaged woman—oh yeah, and a structural engineer with advanced degrees, having designed and supervised the build-out of Los Angeles International Airport. Truly, she was anything but idle, ignorant or ignoble—far from it. Yet she was dissatisfied; something was missing. I will carry her face in my mind forever because of the question she posed— ‘Can you tell me my purpose in life?!’ Why did she ask me? I was her Bible study teacher and she thought maybe I could help her.
Megan was an unusual specimen when talking about determining purpose,
to be sure, so here's the question: what if your life has real limitations?
>you are working 60+ hour weeks, exhausted by day's end. There is no room... purposeful living will have to wait. Does it?
>you are aged or sick/perhaps wheelchair bound ... nothing left for living on purpose?
>young mother with three children under four years of age ... seriously, purpose beyond child-rearing right now? Well, actually - yes.
Pray with me - “Lord, you have made known to us the path of life.1 Would you make your truths come alive as we consider your thoughts toward each one of us and our life purpose at every stage and season of life? Lead us, we pray. Amen.”
We discovered both our starting point and our parameters from Jesus: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself." 2
‘But, wait—’ you interject, ‘weren’t we talking about purpose?’
Yes indeed. Created by God for relationship with him, our greatest good is serving him by serving others; loving him, loving others with all we have. Friend, that is the reason we are here. Our unique, life-giving purpose flows from that and I can personally shout, 'It is one exciting, sometimes unexpected adventure!'
But what about the limitations? Remember when God went to press Moses into service, to activate him into purpose? He asked him, “What is that in your hand?” 3
Friend, what is in your hand? For you cannot play someone else's! Before you tell me of your limitations - wait just a second. Here's some truth: if we have breath in our lungs, a mind to think and the ability to see, we can live on purpose daily.
I take you to a read-right-over verse of Scripture written by John:
"As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth." John 9.1. Do you know how many people had walked right past that blind man but never 'saw' him? Jesus saw him. You and I are called to see, friends.
By way of illustration, I draw from my own life for a moment... over many years, for various reasons, I have dealt with a lot of physical pain. [Think Purpose spreadsheet again: battles fought/current struggles] Because of that, I am keenly aware of others' pain - I read their posture, their furrowed brow, their slowed gait. Awareness calls for us to be present in our lives, and to see; it is fundamental for living a life that counts. Just as Jesus' seeing the blind man caused him to act on the man's behalf, when I see someone in pain, it calls for my action.
Interestingly, the very least I can do and the very most I can do is to carry my hurting friend to God in prayer.
>Mr. C.O.O., I know your days are packed, but if you ask God for the ability to SEE,
you can pray for others; ask God to bring folks to mind randomly. And when you are
getting dinner, you may SEE a person who needs a hand.
>Mrs. 89-year-old woman who is not so fleet of foot anymore ... when you SEE past
your limitations, you can see others' needs and pray for them, ask God for a way
to encourage them, because you draw from a lifetime of experiences.
>Brother, daily challenged with mobility issues, neuropathy and more - can't drive or
walk anymore, you can pray, you can encourage ... and you do! I see what you post
post on Facebook... what an encouragement you are!
>Precious tired mother of little ones, as you rock and sing to your babies and pick up
toys again and again, SEE those you have encountered whose arms are empty and
pray for them; SEE the futures of your babies and pray that they will grow up to
know and follow God....
Because the scope of our prayers is endless, and the requirements so minimal, we are never disqualified from living on purpose. The font of such inspiration? Drawing close
to Jesus daily, living from His abundance, not your own weakness. Do it every morning!
Start your day with 'This is the day the Lord has made - I will rejoice and be glad in it.'4What a wonderful disposition with which to start your day!
Living out our purpose is both life-giving and meaningful. It is exciting to be an instrument in the hand of God as we last spoke of --"And then, this happened": https://conta.cc/3JGK59F.
Mark Twain said, “The two most important days of your life are the day you were born and the day you find out why.” Do you find yourself between Day One and Day Two, or are you living your Day Two to the full?
Christine
no. 5, purpose
1 - Psalm 16.11
2 - Luke 10.27
3 - Exodus 4.2
4 - Psalm 118.24
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