Purpose, really? Ephesians 2.10

Purpose, really?  Ephesians 2.10

God knows.  God knew all along.  God has a plan.

All this talk about purpose… but what about when life hasn’t gone like planned?  I mean, you had had it all planned out—your education, your vocation, your calling.  But then … the unexpected.  Purpose, still?

You bet.

For instance … http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sb_tEOkcfds  Team Hoyt.  Are you familiar with the father-son story?  From a tragedy at birth, purpose.  See, God is not daunted by accidents or even our failures, or someone else’s failure that devastated us!  Given to him, God takes even the less-than-great stuff of our lives and weaves it into our purpose, making something beautiful to impact others for him. 

I think of my friend, Beth Sanden, who was training for an Iron Man competition, and competing in a bike race in San Diego in 2002, hit a patch of uneven asphalt, sending her flying from bicycle and into a severe concussion and paralysis from the waist down.  Not many of us knew her name or personal story before her accident.  But then … in her over-coming spirit, desire to love God and serve others, Beth forged a purpose.  Now she competes for more than just personal bragging rights, she raises funds for the Challenged Athletes Foundation—and more than that, she loves these athletes—coaching, mentoring and encouraging them with every fiber of her being.  Oh, and don’t tell her she can’t traverse the Great Wall of China … http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2mwwuWJiHo …  she’ll prove you wrong.

Then there’s you … what do you have in your knapsack?  Oh, you might have thought it was your rucksack you were dragging behind you, but submitted to God, it might as well be called your knapsack, or better yet, ‘bag of tricks’.  Yeah, like my new 25-year-old buddy, Chad, who was willing to come and tell his story to a bunch of wide-eyed high school students at Fellowship of Christian Athletes.  Wide eyed, because his story had heroin addiction and prison and hopelessness in it—the students listened intently … but then, Chad found God in prison, and what’s more—God found Chad.   And in that dark place, Chad found his purpose.  Now in school to become a pastor, he takes every opportunity to tell others about the God who found him, picked him up, dusted him off, showed him his great love, and even greater grace, and yup, plans and purposes for him.

What’s my point?  God doesn’t waste anything.  Whatever your story … he delights in using it to help others along their way; whatever the trials… whatever your training, your temperament, personality, including all the other sweet things like what you love to do, where your talents lie, and whatever time you have to give …  God can take it and make it beautiful.

Sharing it, giving it away in some capacity … well, that is stepping into your purpose. 

So, first part in working toward your purpose:  know and enjoy God;  Second, love your neighbor as yourself—that is, love God by loving and serving your neighbor … with all of your unique self. 

Already I hear the voices – ‘Seriously?  Do you know how busy I am? Yes, I do... trying to make enough money to get my kids through college?  And now you are throwing out some ridiculous notion about fitting in ‘serving others’?  Really, seriously?’  Or there’s a tired young mother: ‘She is so out of touch.  Doesn’t she remember getting up twice a night to nurse a baby?  ‘And just trying to make it through the day with enough patience for my 3 yr.-old as well?  Now she is talking about purpose?’  Yes, I AM.

Perhaps you missed what I wrote about establishing our priorities according to what Jesus said were the two greatest commandments:  Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength, and the second is like it.  Love your neighbor as yourself.

Perhaps your day is completely consumed with making a living for your family … then you can give yourself to God at the start of your day, and ask him to use you in some way to love others, maybe put someone in your path you can tell about him.  Dang, it might be in line at some lunch spot, it could be when your three-month-old has spit up on your brand new ‘swaggy’ jacket, it might even be when your aging mother has repeated herself for the fourth time … see, you can serve God by serving your mama, your baby, your lunch-mate.  As my street friends said, ‘You feel me?’  Adjust your thinking.  Bob Dylan said, you’ve gotta serve somebody, so it might as well be the person who is in your path, your office, your home.  And at some point, you may be able to step into other unique adventurous purposeful living, but it starts with a mindset.

Purpose – love God passionately, love others the same way—by serving them.

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.         Ephesians 2.10

Ah … yes,