How to Know Your Purpose

“Don’t ask what the world needs.  Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it.  Because what the world needs is people who have come alive” (Howard Thurman).

Do you believe that God created you for a specific purpose?  I do–with every fiber of my being.  However, not everyone believes this.  To paraphrase Henry David Thoreau, many people lead lives of “quiet desperation.”  In other words, some people simply make it through the day, without believing they have a specific mission.  This is a great tragedy.

To live with passion and purpose, we must believe in the depths of our hearts that we’re alive for a mission, that God has placed us here do something great.  This doesn’t mean that every day will be perfect or that we won’t suffer.  But it does mean that when we encounter difficulties we can always remind ourselves why we’re here.  The more we’re aligned with our God-given purpose, the more fully alive we will be.

So how can we know our purpose?  I don’t pretend to have a magic formula, and I’m not going to promise you any life-changing insights.  What I can offer are some simple spiritual steps that you can take to begin to know your purpose and to live it.  I offer these spiritual steps to you in the form of an acronymn, using the word “Purpose.”  In two posts I’ll use each letter to offer a particular insight.  This post will concern the first three letters and will be focused on how to know your purpose.
(P)ray
God created us, so the only way to know our purpose is by getting to know the One who made us.  This seems obvious, but many people try to figure out their purpose without putting God into the equation.  St. Augustine wrote, “O Lord, You have made us for Yourself, and our hearts are restless until they rest in You.”  When desiring to know your purpose, seek first to know the Lord, and in that “knowing” He will reveal your mission to you.  I vividly remember what the Lord spoke to me when I was a young man in college seeking to know what He was asking of me.  In my heart He said, “Do not seek to know your call; seek to love Me, for it is in loving Me that you will know.”

(U)nderstand
What moves you? What are you passionate about? What are your gifts and talents?  What are the desires that you find on your heart when you pray?  To know your purpose you need to be open to a deeper understanding to the answers to these questions.  The Lord has given you particular gifts and instilled certain desires in your heart.  These gifts and desires can point to your purpose.  This attitude of receptive understanding can only come from prayer.  The more we know the Lord, the more we know ourselves.  Pray for understanding.  He will help you to understand your gifts and desires and how you should use them.

(R)esolve
When we have a deeper understanding of our lives and the gifts that we possess, then we need to make a resolution to use our gifts for the Lord.  You may not have a very clear understanding of your purpose at this point in your life, but by using the gifts that you have you will begin to see your purpose unfold.  If you have a gift for writing, start a blog.  If you have a gift for listening, volunteer your time at a nursing home.  If you have a gift for teaching, start a Bible study.  Just use your gifts for the Lord and your purpose will become clearer.

You may not know your purpose in a day, but you can take these steps now.  Very simply: Spend daily quiet time with the Lord (Pray).  Reflect upon the questions I posed (Understand).  Decide to use your gifts (Resolve).

I hope I whet your appetite for the next post: How to Live Your Purpose.  Coming soon!

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