Why was I born? Does my life have any meaning? What’s the purpose of my life? These and many other questions may have crossed your mind.
Well, you can get the answers to these questions by speculation or by revelation. Trying to understand the meaning of life by speculation is assuming life’s meaning. It is a guesswork without any firm evidence. An example of this is assuming that the purpose of your life is the same as someone who has a similar background or temperament to you. Or following guidelines from some self-help books which tells you to focus on your dreams or ambitions. Trying to understand your life purpose by putting yourself first is like putting the cart before the horse. It won’t work because the horse leads the cart and not the other way round. You didn’t create yourself so you cannot know your purpose by starting with yourself. This would be merely speculating.
Have you ever seen an object for the first time, assumed its’ function, and you were wrong? I definitely have! I once heard the story of an elderly man who was given an iPad as a Christmas gift by his daughter and when the daughter came visiting a few weeks later, she saw her dad using the iPad as a chopping board! You can imagine her disappointment and frustration. The father too may have been disappointed that his daughter gave him only a “chopping board” for Christmas! This is exactly what happens when we don’t know our purpose and we speculate. We are disappointed and unfilled, and the one who created us is also disappointed and frustrated!
The best way to discover the purpose of anything is to refer to the manufacturer’s manual or ask the person who created it. By doing this, you get the revealed intent of the maker. This is how to know purpose by revelation! The good news is that as a human, you have access to both means. You can know your purpose through God’s manual which is the Bible as you take your time to study it. The Bible passages below confirms that:
“It’s in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone.” Ephesians 1:11-12 (The MSG)
“… everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him.” Colossians 1:16b MSG
Another way I said you can know the purpose of a thing is directly ask the one who created it. As a child of God, you have that direct access to ask Him! I remember many years ago, when my daughter, Grace was born, because of the severe disability she was born with and the situation I found myself then, I was crying and pouring out my heart to God one morning, asking what the future held for me and my child. About two days later, while still in this quest, I heard God speak to my heart saying, “Make your pain the gain of others.” This is a revealed purpose which I am pursuing and doing so have given me so much fulfilment!
We have being studying this subject for the last couple of weeks in my women’s group, “The Gain-Full Women” so I invite you to join us if you want a deeper insight the subject of purpose. You can also find videos of some of these teachings on our YouTube channel, “My Pain Your Gain Ministries” which I believe you will find helpful.
What revelation of your purpose have you received? I would love to hear it so feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section.
God bless you!
