We know that in everything God works for good with those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose.
Romans 8:28
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
Ephesians 2:10
Have you ever asked yourself “What is my purpose? What am I doing?” If we are honest, we all have. How we answer these questions will have a direct correlation to our self-esteem and our self-confidence. If we answer these questions in the affirmative, that will bolster our confidence and most likely productivity. If the answers to these questions are negative, it will have a negative effect on our self-esteem. If a person doesn’t know their purpose or what they are doing, they can very quickly lose their sense of self. However, if a person can answer these questions positively, even when they are lacking self-confidence, they can find strength to push through and even push forward.
What is my purpose? The response to this question is the same for everyone, just answered in a slightly different way. Our purpose in this life is to prepare for our entrance into eternal life. Some people may be at just the beginning of their journey, because they are very young, or because they’ve just become aware that they have a purpose. And some people are at the end of the journey, about to exit life, or with the overwhelming majority of life in the rear-view mirror. Along the way, people go to school, get married, work, have children, retire, travel, get sick, move and all kinds of other things. Wherever you are on your journey, your purpose is to prepare for eternal life by using the gifts, talents and opportunities that God has given you in this life. For the high school or college student, their purpose is to discover their tools and figure out how to best use them for vocation and ministry (yes, we covered this a few reflections back, speaking about how every job should have a ministry component with it). For the parent raising children, their purpose is to raise offspring that understands God, embraces their purpose, talents and opportunities, and who are ready to take their place in the adult world contributing to the world in meaningful way. For the married couple, their purpose is to guide and encourage each other on the path to salvation. For the person working, their purpose is to use their talent to make a meaningful contribution to the world in whatever field they are working in. For the person who is retired, their purpose is not just to relax and travel, but to still find meaningful ways to serve and encourage others—that might be their grandchildren, involvement in a senior’s group, volunteering, etc. And finally for the person at the very end of their life, there is still purpose, to get everything in order so that when the end comes, it is blameless and peaceful and one is ready to make account at the awesome judgment seat of Christ.
Simply put, our purpose is to grow in God while working our way through life on the path to salvation. That doesn’t mean we can’t have fun along the way. That doesn’t mean that our sole focus in this life is on the next life. It just means we recognize a higher purpose than just making money, having fun, getting through life or running on the hamster wheel of life where we run and get exhausted and repeat the cycle.
When you ask yourself “what am I doing?” especially in those moments when you are wringing your hands and really wondering “WHAT. AM. I. DOING?!” the place to return to is a simple question—Am I glorifying God in what I am doing today, or even in this moment? When I get frustrated or feel lost, the easiest way to feel found is to find something to do that glorifies God. It may be as simple as texting someone a word of thanks or encouragement. It may be a sharper focus on even the mundane tasks, so that they can be finished efficiently. Sometimes the question of “What I am doing?” is asked when one feels overwhelmed and wonders what to do first. In these times, it is important to do two things—Focus on being present, and do SOMEthing. My English teacher in my senior year of high school used to make us write something each day at the beginning of class, for fifteen minutes. He didn’t care if we wrote the beginning, middle or end of something. We just had to do something. And even though there was no religious connection in this exercise at my public high school, I realized that this exercise helped prepare me to “do something” in the times when the list of things to do is so long it seems paralyzing. If we are honest, we’ve all been there before.
Our purpose is to glorify God and what we are doing on a given day, in a given moment, is to honor God in whatever task we are doing. In Romans 8:28, we read We know that in everything God works for good with those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose. In other words, everything good around us comes as a blessing from God. When we work according to His purpose for us, the unique set of talents and opportunities with which we find ourselves, then God can work good through us, no matter how mundane of a task we think we are doing. Ephesians 2:10 also answers well the question of “what is my purpose?” when St. Paul writes For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. God has fashioned each of us a little differently. His “workmanship” makes us each a unique creation. He has fashioned each of us with a unique set of tools that we are to put to use in doing good works that are pleasing to God. These tools have been “prepared beforehand,” from the moment we are conceived, when God puts a divine imprint on each soul, a divine imprint that will recognize its purpose of getting to the Kingdom of God in a slightly different and unique way. We each have a unique path to salvation.
Lord, thank You for the gift of another day. While I may say that often in prayer, the truth is that each day is a gift and even though today might be hard, I still want to receive it as a gift. Help me to see this day as an opportunity to glorify You—whether it is at home, at work, with friends or even with strangers. May I embrace each situation I am in today and glorify You. Help me to never lose my sense of purpose and belonging, that my purpose is to serve You, and that I belong to You as one of Your beloved children. Amen.
Our purpose is to honor God as we walk our unique path to salvation. As to what are we doing with that, the answer is found in what we are doing in the present. Don’t get overwhelmed by the whole picture, just focus on honoring God today, or even in this moment.
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