I am working on a project. It is unfolding in an interesting way because I am living out the learned lessons in real time.  Guys, it is all fun and games when you learn something new that also inspires you, but when it comes to putting that lesson to practice, it’s a whole ‘nother (painful) level.

The current lesson is on Purpose. Again. I have been down this road several times but each time feels like the first. The concept remains unchanged but the depth of knowledge keeps increasing.

Mark Twain said the two most important days in a man’s life are the day he was born and the day he finds out why. I have a third; the day you stop caring about what people think. It is only then you will have the boldness to pursue the purpose you discovered on day two, the purpose that was placed inside you before day one.

The scripture in Jeremiah says “Before you were formed in your mother’s womb, I knew you and before you were born, I set you apart.” (Jeremiah 1:5) Then God goes on to tell Jeremiah what he created him for. Your purpose existed before you were even formed in your mother’s womb. This means that first, a purpose existed, then you were formed to fit around it. Think of your purpose as a uniquely shaped seed that needed its own case molded around its shape. You are that container. You carry your purpose.

But whose purpose is it, really? Yours or God’s? Well, God had a purpose- a grand one- and you have your part to play. Your purpose is an offshoot of God’s big purpose for the world. You matter. If you don’t fulfill it there will be a dent in the shape of the world.

So yesterday while driving home from work I was thinking about my current challenge. This one has me stumped, but I am thankful for my tribe of supportive brothers and sisters who are standing with me as I travel on this rocky portion of my path.  Here is how I have been dealing with it.

1. It is God’s will, not mine. When your desires are aligned with God’s will for you, you can believe that your will is really God’s will expressed by our soul. This knowledge helps us to accept the good and the bad. It stops us from being myopic and small minded as it relates to the challenges we are facing. Knowing that everything on our path is ordained by God gives us the freedom to embrace it. It doesn’t make the journey easier, but it does remove one or two layers of the stuff that makes the fire seem pointless.
2. If it is God’s will, there is nothing the devil can do to successfully topple it. Last week I shared about quitting. There are times it makes logical sense to quit. Just because it makes sense does not mean we should. We are a peculiar people, a people that press on when the world says stop.
3. God has placed you in a place geographically and otherwise where it is conducive for you to thrive. Again thriving doesn’t translate to pleasant, it means to grow well or flourish. We can all testify I’m sure, that the seasons of immense growth happen in the time of our greatest challenges.
4. If you have been given a purpose, it is your responsibility to fulfill it regardless of health, finances, state of mind etc. If help is needed, get help. If wisdom is lacking ask. If you need strength, ask for support or bring your body into its optimal state through lifestyle changes. This part is hard because our focus tends to be the need and not the fulfilling of purpose.
5. We are limited by time. We are not here forever. We are all standing in line as we face the exit door of this side of life. This means that between today and the time you arrive at the door, you should have completed the reason you came to earth in the first place. Every second wasted is a second less to spend on fulfilling your calling. Time is of the essence. We were not created to simply experience life and then die. No! We are too wonderfully created for that. Our lives have a meaning beyond the physical. Our lives are awesome; divinely inspired and painstakingly crafted by a supreme being.

Embracing your purpose as yours allows you to hold on to it until it is fulfilled, as opposed to dropping it in favour of something that looks better. Fall in love with your raison d’être the way you do your newborn baby. It is the seed that your life was built around and you have been equipped with everything you need to bring it to fruition.

This last sentence has kept me on the ‘straight and narrow’ as my physical senses are currently unable to pick up any semblance of the necessary materials needed. I have had to bring myself into believing that the materials and tools are there, I just can’t see them. This is why it is important to live from the core of who you are, that is your spirit connected to God. Your senses do not always perceive what’s present and your feelings do not always pick it up either.

This weekend we had an interesting conversation with our boys on politics. One of them expressed his concern at the direction the world is going with regards to morals and ideologies. This same child told me years ago that he believed God would not have placed man on a planet that wasn’t conducive for him to live on. In other words, no matter how crazy the world gets, we will always be able to fulfill our purpose in it. Unpleasant doesn’t mean impossible; His grace is sufficient for us.

On another note, I recently started Facebook Live Videos sharing some of the lessons I am learning. Join me at 8 pm, Thursday 20th of September at Facebook.com/misstoks