Why You Need to Live Your God-Given Purpose

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For years I thought that my God-given purpose was that of a mom and caregiver. I thought that my primary role was to raise my children well. To know the Lord, to become functional adults and good contributors to society.

I thought that when I had children that my dreams no longer mattered and it was their dreams that I needed to focus on. I had no idea that it was important to live my purpose.

After my mom passed away, I took on her role of looking after my dad and the entire household. This was besides my own responsibilities. I felt like I needed to be a superwoman and take care of everyone.

For a long time, the hopes and dreams that I had for my life weren’t even on my radar. The needs of my family, my employer and my church were far more important than my own.

The older I got, the less likely it seemed that I would be able to pursue and fulfill those dreams. So I stored them away and didn’t give them much thought.

That was until I turned 40. I’m not sure why it happens at that age but I took a look back at the life I had lived thus far and I was not happy with what I saw. It’s not that it wasn‘t a good life. I had a good career, two beautiful children and I was a child of God.

But something was missing.

My life had become overwhelming, frustrating and out of balance. I felt like I was I meant to do more; much, much more. In a moment, I decided that my next 40 years would be better than the previous forty years.

No! They’d far exceed the previous years.

I didn’t know how I would do it, or even what I needed to do. But I knew that there MUST be more to life than what I had lived so far.

Easier said than done. I had a difficult time letting go of all the busyness in my life so that I could take the steps I needed to change. Every time I thought about letting something go, I’d think, “No, that’s too important to so and so, I can’t say no to that”. Or I’d think, “I can’t disappoint them, they need me too much.”

My kids needed me, my dad needed me, my employer needed me, my church needed me. How would I find the time to build my dream life when everyone needed me. I spent almost all my time doing stuff for others. Important stuff. I couldn’t disappoint them, that would be selfish. They NEEDED me.

Then it occurred to me. Suppose I got to heaven and all I could tell the Lord was how busy I was. It would be a sad sad day if I never even attempted to do the very things that He sent me here to do.

That’s a troubling thought, isn’t it?

God was the one who gave me the hopes and dreams that I have in my heart. The ones that have been there since I was a child. They are a part of my purpose.

Maybe you’re like me. You’ve been putting the needs of others ahead of the things that you know that God has placed in your heart. Read on to find out why you NEED to live your God-given purpose.

YOUR GOD-GIVEN PURPOSE IS DIVINELY CRAFTED

“Your eyes could see me as an embryo, but in your book, all my days were already written; my days had been shaped before any of them existed.”

Psalm 139:16 (CJB)

I love this verse. The same God who created the universe, took the time to write my destiny before I breathed one breath on this earth. Isn’t that overwhelming? Doesn’t that make you feel His amazing love?

I chuckle to think of Him sitting at a desk with a journal (it was probably a scroll lol) and a pen. I imagine Him saying “I’m going to create Deborah today. Let’s see. Who will she be?” And then He writes it all down in His book.

God’s vision for you is written in heaven. He’s already written your destiny. The things you’re meant to do, the gifts and talents He has given you, the people you’re meant to touch. He’s already written it all.

It’s waiting for you.

All you need to do is manifest it here on earth – on earth as it is in heaven.

YOu are uniquely “you”

“Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is youer than you.”

Dr. Seuss

There is only one you, and nobody can do you better than you can. The calling you have on this earth is unique, nobody else can fulfill it.

There may be other people already doing the things that you dream of doing, but they cannot do it in the way that you can.

Your talents and gifts are meant to touch others. Someone is waiting for you to start that business or that blog, write that song or that book.

There are specific people on this earth that you are meant to touch. There is something in you that they need to fulfill their purpose. Whether that is to lead them to Christ, or plant a seed or encourage them on their journey with Jesus.

Your unique experiences will affect someone in a completely different way to the way I will. The people who respond to your story and experiences may not be the same people who respond to mine.

There are people waiting for you to touch their lives in a way that only you can.

LIVING YOUR PURPOSE WILL GROW YOUR FAITH

Although we would like Him to, the Lord is not going to show us His plans all at once. Psalm 119:105 (CJB) says “Your word is a lamp for my foot and light on my path.”‬ ‭

Deciding to pursue your purpose often means breaking convention. You’ll have to go where you’ve never gone before. Chances are you’ll be moving into uncharted territory and will have to step out in blind faith.

God often gives us just enough instructions to do what we need to do at a particular moment.
He may ask you to do something that seems silly or something that you don’t fully understand. You will have to trust that He will never ask you to do anything that will cause you harm. I don’t know about you but I’m still a work in progress on this one 🙂.

Jeremiah 29:11 tells us that His plans are GOOD that means He always has our best interests at heart.

Stepping out to chase after your calling will increase your faith as you trust Him to lead you.

your God-given purpose makes life more meaningful

Life becomes more meaningful when you’ve found a way to use the things you love to do to touch the lives of others.

When all is said and done, we all want to know that we have left this earth having lived a meaningful life. Knowing that we’ve done what we were sent to here do. That we didn’t simply exist but that our life made a difference in the life of someone else.

As I mentioned, when I reflected on my life at 40, it was overwhelming, frustrating and out of balance. Since then I’ve done two things, started this blog and started leading a small group. Both of these actions brought balance and peace to my life because I finally felt like I’m living my purpose.

Most people look forward to a time when they can retire and then do what they love doing. I don’t ever want to retire. I want to spend the rest of my life doing all the things God created me to do.

If you have hopes and dreams that you’ve buried somewhere I encourage you to dig them up. Choose one and ask God for direction on how to get started. Then take action.

Start living your God-given purpose TODAY!