What am I here for?
It's a common wondering. Everyone wants to know there's a reason for their existence. Otherwise, what's the point?
In the church world, we do know there's a reason. We're told God created us for a purpose. He has a specific plan for your life. Then we spend years trying to figure out what it is.
In my quiet time the other day, it occurred to me. What if we only lived for the specific purpose God has for us? What if the unique call on our lives that we long to know was the only thing we did with our lives?
Let's face it. That's exactly what most of us do. We spend the first part of our lives trying to find out what that call is. When we do find out, we wait around for it to happen. Or we try to make it happen immediately.
I'll admit it. I've been one of those people. I asked for years what God wanted me to do with my life. I spent a lot of time trying to make whatever it was fit into what I wanted to do with my life. In the past year, God has blessed me with the knowledge of what He wants me to do for at least part of my life. (By the way, fitting it into what I wanted to do didn't happen, except now that I know Him better, I want to do it anyway.) I know I need to prepare for what He has for me, but I spent most of this summer completely focused on that future call. I forgot about where I am right now.
God knows what He's doing though. He made sure that changed. In my Bible reading I've been learning about different people. People who knew their purpose, who knew the job God had planned for them. People like David, Paul, and of course Jesus. Each of these people knew his special purpose. They prepared for it, but they didn't forget the job right in front of them.
David knew he was going to be king of Israel. But what if he only lived for that? Would Israel have been rescued from the Philistines when Goliath challenged them? Would he have had the support he needed to become king when Saul and Jonathan died?
Paul knew he was the one to bring the good news of Jesus' life, death and resurrection to the Gentiles. But what if he had only lived for that? How many more Jews wouldn't have heard? How many more Jews wouldn't have believed?
Jesus. His purpose was to be the sacrifice for our sin. But what if He had only lived for that? How many people would have remained sick? How many would have remained blind? How many would have remained in the grave prematurely? How many would have continued looking for a Messiah that would save them from Roman rule? How many of us would have not heard the Good News because someone dying and coming back to life is cool but if He didn't care about people isn't really someone worth dying for, let alone living for?
Yes, God has a specific place He's called us. He has a specific group of people He wants us to reach. But He has things for us to do before we get there. People to Love, places to go, things to learn. He created mankind to be in a relationship with Him. If we don't have the relationship with Him or lead those around us into that relationship, we won't be ready for our unique purpose.
God will make it happen when it's supposed to happen. Until then, what are we doing to accomplish our original purpose and help others accomplish theirs?
