For some time now I’ve been teaching the need for purpose in our lives. We all search for that one-thing to make life meaningful. We dream of finding and fulfilling a need, stumbling along with best intentions trying various "purposes" on for size hoping someday to find "it" ...the one-thing that makes life worthwhile.
We all have a purpose: Taking care of our children, going to work, helping each other are all purposes. Some have said my purpose was to "keep chairs from floating away," implying that I sat around on my rump for hours on end. I could take issue with that but, I'll save that for another time.
What if you were confined to a bed? A wheelchair? Limited by a walker? Could you still have a purpose? When faced with a debilitating injury and life shifts with tornadic velocity, is your purpose gone? The answer is "No!” Even if you are on complete bed rest you serve a purpose. That purpose may be to let someone else take care of you. Someday you may find yourself unable to do some of the things that today you take for granted. I have several new friends who have lost their independence and even the ability to eat is a struggle. Do they have purpose? The answer is, "Of course!" One of the most encouraging things I heard a lady say, "Even if I were bedfast and couldn’t move my arms and legs, I would change the world through prayer." Changing the world through prayer...sounds like a great purpose to me.
Years later I learned that purpose has a cousin named "Hope". I came to understand that purpose is not enough to get you out of bed in the morning. You can have a purpose and still feel like life isn’t worth living. You can be busy doing exceptional things, reaching the multitudes, and not have a driving force behind your purpose. What I learned that was missing in my life was “HOPE.” I had purpose and I even had a dream, but I didn’t have hope. I had lost it somewhere in the shuffling of my life.
To find your passion and dream may involve some risk as in the mouse trap. The cheese is not the purpose. The purpose is a full belly. The cheese is the hope and the trap is the risk. I know in this time in our world it may be hard to see much hope, but I don’t have to change the world nor do I want to. I’m only called to work in my corner of it or my circle.
There is the famous scripture that says, “Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1. What does this mean to you? It’s not only hoping for something, but believing you will receive it. Faith/Hope is what gives you the excitement to seek your passion. This is what will get you out of bed in the morning.
If your passion and excitement come from your job, then I say, Wonderful! If your passion comes from being the best Husband/Wife/Father/Mother, that’s great. I can get excited when someone is passionate about their job even if it's boring to me and I don’t understand what they’re talking about. It’s so refreshing to see someone excited and positive.
If you’ve lost hope, then it’s probably right where you left it. Go back. Pick it up. And get moving again.
We all have a purpose: Taking care of our children, going to work, helping each other are all purposes. Some have said my purpose was to "keep chairs from floating away," implying that I sat around on my rump for hours on end. I could take issue with that but, I'll save that for another time.
What if you were confined to a bed? A wheelchair? Limited by a walker? Could you still have a purpose? When faced with a debilitating injury and life shifts with tornadic velocity, is your purpose gone? The answer is "No!” Even if you are on complete bed rest you serve a purpose. That purpose may be to let someone else take care of you. Someday you may find yourself unable to do some of the things that today you take for granted. I have several new friends who have lost their independence and even the ability to eat is a struggle. Do they have purpose? The answer is, "Of course!" One of the most encouraging things I heard a lady say, "Even if I were bedfast and couldn’t move my arms and legs, I would change the world through prayer." Changing the world through prayer...sounds like a great purpose to me.
Years later I learned that purpose has a cousin named "Hope". I came to understand that purpose is not enough to get you out of bed in the morning. You can have a purpose and still feel like life isn’t worth living. You can be busy doing exceptional things, reaching the multitudes, and not have a driving force behind your purpose. What I learned that was missing in my life was “HOPE.” I had purpose and I even had a dream, but I didn’t have hope. I had lost it somewhere in the shuffling of my life.
To find your passion and dream may involve some risk as in the mouse trap. The cheese is not the purpose. The purpose is a full belly. The cheese is the hope and the trap is the risk. I know in this time in our world it may be hard to see much hope, but I don’t have to change the world nor do I want to. I’m only called to work in my corner of it or my circle.
There is the famous scripture that says, “Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1. What does this mean to you? It’s not only hoping for something, but believing you will receive it. Faith/Hope is what gives you the excitement to seek your passion. This is what will get you out of bed in the morning.
If your passion and excitement come from your job, then I say, Wonderful! If your passion comes from being the best Husband/Wife/Father/Mother, that’s great. I can get excited when someone is passionate about their job even if it's boring to me and I don’t understand what they’re talking about. It’s so refreshing to see someone excited and positive.
If you’ve lost hope, then it’s probably right where you left it. Go back. Pick it up. And get moving again.
2 comments:
Garry, a friend sent me a link to your blog today and I wanted to tell you how much this particular post meant to me. The message is very important to our family right now and I hope many people read it. God bless you and keep you in good health with never failing faith and hope.
Thank you and I'm Glad it helped in some way.
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