What Is My Purpose?

“What am I supposed to do?”

That’s the question of every student facing a new school assignment, of every first-time parent as they stare at the fully dependent little creature in their arms, of every graduate choosing a college or career path, and, certainly, of every Christ-follower who wants to do more than warm a seat on Sunday morning.

 What do I do?

Built-in Questions

We’re action-oriented beings, and boredom, lack of direction, and indefinite waiting are often felt to be our enemies. We’re fulfilled when we create something with our hands, solve a challenging problem, set goals, and tick off a to-do list. It would seem to be part of our internal wiring, this drive to do.

In my current season of waiting, I’ve found myself wrestling with this question more often than usual. I’ve found that at the deepest layer, what I’m really questioning is my purpose. It might sound like, “Should I help fill that need?” “Should I invest in that ministry?” “Should I be more proactive in my parenting?” “Should I create more time to write?” But really, I’m simply asking, “What should I do, God? What is my purpose?”

Interestingly, grappling with the idea of purpose isn’t wrong. It’s one of our core human needs, right up there with identity and belonging. Every human must answer the questions: Who am I? What do I do? Who do I belong to? We are created and designed with these questions woven into the fabric of our lives, the flesh of our very humanity. These questions are there to direct us to God. (See Genesis 1:26-28)

I imagine you can whip out the neat Christian answers to these questions, same as I can.
Who am I? Easy. I’m a child of God.
What do I do? Love God with all that I am and love my neighbor as myself.
Who do I belong to? My Heavenly Father and the body of Christ.

Yep. Done. Questions answered. Problems solved. Let’s move on, shall we? Let’s get on to the next task. Let’s start doing something.

Ah, but there it is again, that drive to do. It refuses to be packaged and put on a shelf. I might know that my purpose is to love God and others, but how do I live out that purpose? How do I do this life of love? 

Big Purpose, Individual Answer

That question, my friend, has over seven billion possible answers, each individually unique. And unwrapping God’s purpose for you will take a lifetime. A lifetime of getting to know the Father’s heart through both joy and pain; a lifetime of learning to see those around you as He sees them; a lifetime of releasing expectations and plans as you grow in humility and trust; a lifetime of establishing deeper roots into your identity in Christ no matter what you can do on the outside.

So, what is your purpose? In a word, LOVE. 

But what living love looks like for you today is probably vastly different from what it is for me. Because of that, I can’t give you an easy answer or a 3-step process to follow. I do, however, want to share a prayer from my heart that I hope meets you on your journey toward walking in God’s purpose for you, as well.

Abba Father,
I am yours, and you are mine. What an incredible gift to belong to you. I want to be so wrapped up in your love 
that I think the things you think, say the things you say, and do the things you do. 
Please help me to cease my striving and to release my desire to find my value in what I produce. Help me to rest in your arms; give me confidence in who you’ve made me to be. 
I offer every breath as worship to you. In everything I do, Lord, be glorified. 
And even as I make my plans, I trust that you are directing my steps. Lead me, gentle Shepherd, on right paths for your name’s sake. 
Amen.