PURPOSE: Who Am I & Why Am I Here?

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It’s easy to get caught up in the everyday routines of life. But somehow, beneath dragging our butts off to work, attending school, and tackling relationships, we lose sight of a question that often gets overshadowed by these distractions: Who am I and why am here?

We search for our purpose.

We want to believe that our existence matters, that we are on this Earth for a greater reason than just taking up space for a certain amount of time. We want to believe that there is more to life than the tiresome routines we put ourselves through. We want to believe that there is more than this.

Well, there is. Nobody is an accident. Every single person was created for a reason, for a specific purpose that only they can fulfill in the way that God–or the ‘Universe’–has planned it.

So how do we figure out what our ‘purpose’ is?

SOUL SEARCHING …

I’ll tell you right now that I am no expert in this; in fact, I’m on the journey towards discovering my purpose too! But whether it’s through prayer, meditation, or simply being still, let’s remove ourselves from distraction and ask ourselves a few questions:

1) What am I naturally good at (talents)?
Just as God gives each of us a unique purpose, he also blesses us with talents to achieve them. So whatever talents you have, reflect on how they might hint at your God-given purpose and how you might use them to serve others.

2) What do I enjoy doing? What are my ‘dreams’ or ‘ambitions’?
Sometimes our God-given purpose is aligned with the desires of our hearts. Perhaps that big ‘dream’ you have is also God’s dream for you–pray about it and follow it.

3) What ticks me off? What is an issue I badly want to change or engage with?
Sometimes we face issues that anger us and make us say, “I wish someone would do something about that!” Reflect on it. Maybe you are one who’s meant to ‘do something’ about it.

4) Where in my life have I suffered? What hardships have I faced?
This might sound ironic, but sometimes God lets us go through hardships in order to give us new purpose. Perhaps the very thing that once inhibited you is now the very thing that will propel you (my journey through clinical depression is an example of this). Every experience–including hardships–were given to us for a reason; make them count.

AFTER ALL THESE QUESTIONS …

After reflecting on these questions, there’s no guarantee that our ‘purpose’ will suddenly become apparent to us (in fact, it might be a lifelong pursuit!). Nonetheless, these questions are stepping stones to greater clarity. Perhaps if we keep ourselves open to the nudges in our hearts, we will discover our God-given purposes when the time is right.

Jeremiah 20:11 // Proverbs 16:9 

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