Purpose.

Purpose. We all have it. In fact just about anything you can think about has it in some form or another. A football team’s purpose is to win games. An artist’s purpose is to create something out of what seems to be nothing. A musician’s purpose is to create beautiful and inspiring music. I can sit here all day and list just about anything or anyone and tell you what the purpose is of their existence. In my studies lately, I have been contemplating what this concept means and how it reflects in my life.

If I was to take my own life and write it down into a story, chapter by chapter, and hand it to someone and ask them to read it, what would they think my life was all about? Would they find my life inspiring? Full of adventure? Or would they find the purpose of my life to be full of selfish ambitions, missed opportunities, and constant failures and letdowns? Through the many plot changes, climaxes, and character balances that would be found in the pages of my life would the reader see a man who is living his life fully devoted to God? As much as I would like to answer this last question in the affirmative, I do not believe that I could while maintaining my integrity. Sure some of the chapters in that book would show a man living for God, a man who finds his purpose in what Christ did for us on the cross, but not all of them. And in my opinion, if there is any chapter in my life that is not centered around Christ’s death and resurrection than I am wasting my time and finding my purpose outside of God’s love.

In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession—to the praise of his glory. (Ephesians 1:11-14)

We have a purpose in this world, and that is to praise the glory of God with our lives.

This seems like such a foreign concept in our culture too. We live in a culture where we are taught from birth that everything in out lives is about our own story. We are supposed to do everything by answering for ourselves the question, “Is this good for me?” If the answer to this question ends up being no than our culture teaches us to just leave it behind and find something better for ourselves. But this is NOT what God calls us to do.

As I was considering this idea of purpose in my life I realized that it isn’t just about my own story. It is so much bigger than that because my story is just a sub-story to a meta-narrative which is the story of everything around us. A story that includes life, brokenness, retribution, deceit, murder, death, joy, a promise, danger, an adventure, and most importantly a hero, that is Jesus Christ our Lord. This is God’s story, and I feel lucky to be a part of it.

The conclusion that I want to draw out of this is that we are all made for a purpose. God did not mass produce us, he hand crafted each and every one of us. We were created intentionally and therefore we have purpose in our lives. It doesn’t matter what story you have lived in the past, because God doesn’t care about that. What he does care about is how you will live your life right now, tomorrow, and in the many days to come. It is never too late to rewrite your story. Just remember that when you do, write it for the one who gave you the pen in paper in the first place.