Purpose (noun) – the reason for which something is done or created or for which something exists.
Wikipedia
Can you believe it is almost March? I bet coming into the New Year’s you were gun hoe on setting goals and getting stuff done, but what’s changed? Something right? Now things seem a little off, and you are not as focused as you were on day 1, day 10, and girl by day 40 you were back on your path of familiarity, comfort, and the “I will start on Monday” speech.
It’s kind of hard to own who you are and stand in your truth, as they say, when you aren’t even sure of your self, or your purpose.
It can be quite frustrating and overwhelming as scattered thoughts crowd your mind. Being ignorant of your existence can lead you along paths of destruction and repetition. You fall prey to elusive intents among those you have allowed into your circle because it’s hard to project something that you don’t see.
When I began seeking a purpose for my life, it was not in the Word of God. I searched for MY purpose for MY life, and what I wanted for myself on the foundation of “experience” from my understandings. I began to allow others to shape me into a vessel fit for their selfish gain which got me nowhere and left me standing empty-handed every time. Another lesson learned, and another 24 hours wasted.
Ask yourself “Whom do I want to be?”
When you are unsure of yourself, the response rarely hones in on the core of your being. Instead, your replies sound more like “I want to be someone who makes a difference in the lives of others. I want to be financially free so that I can enjoy life and travel. I want to be successful and impactful in my community.”
I find that it is always easier said until you begin exploring those areas of interest. Some paths show you more of what you love, and other lanes show you more of what you dislike.
Initially, I thought I wanted to be an animal veterinarian until I went to Clemson University and spent time on a farm. I then thought I wanted to be a General Surgeon until I applied to High Point University and was short $5,000.00 for the year. My love for art and working with my hands, plus wanting better clothes in my closet, led to me to the path of becoming a fashion designer. I desired to design custom fashion for clients until I spent more time in a central location constructing garments all while barely being able to manage my bills. I thought maybe being a graphic designer was where it was at, but the clientele was not financially suited for the packets I had to offer. Somehow in the midst of all this uncertainty and beyond the logic, I found my purpose when I began seeking God.
“What do you want me to do for you?”
When Jesus went to Jericho, Blind Bartimaeus in the book of Mark 10: 46-52 heard he was there and began to cry out so much so that many reprimanded him, and yet Jesus heard him. When Jesus called for him to come and Bartimaeus approached, Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?” The question was not one of curiosity. Jesus asked the obvious to give Bartimaeus, a man defined by his condition, an opportunity to express his faith in what seemed impossible—the ability to see.
In the same manner, Jesus is asking us “Who do you want to be, not because he doesn’t know, but rather to see if you have enough trust in him to make the impossible possible in you and through you. David had cheerful confidence that a faithful person who cries out to God is not only heard; God’s purpose for his children becomes fulfilled. (Psalm 57:2)
Though my mother gave birth to me and raised me, she could not tell me my purpose, or whom I was supposed to be. God, on the other hand, before He formed me in the womb of my mother, knew me. He had already granted me a measure of authority and appointed me to speak to my area of influence. (Jer1:5; 2Cor 10:13)
Perceive and Project
Somehow whom I wanted to become no longer triumphed the plans and thoughts God had for me. I began to understand that it was in the welfare of Christ that I would find my prosperity. His Word reminds me that he knows the plans and his thoughts towards me, plans to prosper me, and not to harm me, but to give me a future and a hope. (Jer 29:11). When I seek God’s face, my purpose becomes more evident. Reading his Word, which was written to motivate, helps me perceive and project the Woman I am called to be.
I encourage you to be “confident of this very thing, that he which has begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.” (Phi 1:6)
So again I ask you, “Whom do you want to be?”
No regrets, no looking back now. Live in Purpose.
XOXO, J. Renee
