Purpose

You know, I’m excited. A world of possibilities spreads out before me in a shimmering haze of color, and I have the thrill of knowing that in the position of being in Jesus and having His life in me, nothing is impossible. I have dreams I believe He has given me for the future. I have the opportunity to pour myself out for love of Him, and see Him work in my life and through me to others. I have purpose.

That’s a good thing. God Himself says that “without vision, the people perish.” We’ve all seen the complete devastation that lack of vision can cause in a person’s life. We have to know what we’re living for, or life is not worth living.

But my purpose does not—cannot—come from my dreams for the future. Not even ministry dreams. My purpose can’t come from the call of God on my life to serve Him in a certain way or a certain place. It can’t come from my hopes or my plans. That is not enough purpose for my life, and it is not stable. In just a moment, it could all come crashing down. The particular ministry I want to be a part of could disband and fade away. The people I follow could fail me. An accident could happen and leave me useless for the work I hoped to do. Then what?

Even my present circumstances, my friends, my family cannot give me the purpose I need—and I live in a great place, have amazing friends, and am part of an incredible family. I love my family! We have our struggles and weak points, but I feel incredibly blessed to be able to share life with them, watch God work in their lives, and follow Him together. Yet even they can’t hold me up. They, believe it or not, let me down sometimes. They give my life color and music, but they can’t give it breath. They are finite, human, susceptible to making wrong decisions, falling short of what they should be, even leaving when I need them most. Then what?

Then only One Thing remains. The only sure drive for my life is the Creator of life Himself. The only purpose that will not fade is that of loving Him and living in Him. The only ground that cannot be shaken is the Rock.

That is where I will stand. That is my vision, my purpose. From that will flow the rest; He will guide me where to go, plant His dreams and desires in my heart, supply me with everything I need and bless me beyond what is reasonable. But my hope is in who He is, not what He does. I seek Him, not just His protection or His blessings or even His guidance.

Which, incidentally, is what I’m really wanting right now, even needing. I need Him to tell me what He wants out of this next season of my life. But He is showing me that more than anything else, even more than I need a clear outline or picture of the next step, I need Him. Just Him; His nature, His love, His grace. And I can trust Him, even when I can’t see ahead. He is good, and He is trustworthy. Just watch with me, and see what He does.