Oh, but I have missed being able to come and share
with you on this blog! Truth is that life has tried so hard to get in my way
these past few days. Somehow in the course of everyday, so many things have
happened that make me think ‘Oh, I need
to share this on my blog’. What didn’t happen though was me being able to
actually find the time to write a blog. Yep, it has been an amazingly busy
week!
For the past three days however, God has been
reminding me that He asked me to be ‘intentional’ about my life and the
things I would do this year. He reminded me that He asked me not to move
without hearing from Him, and then in that His quiet way that just hits the
spot, He told me I had been trying to take the wheel from Him which is why I
had had such a frantic couple of weeks. Hmmm! Needless to say, I have had to very quickly
do a mental shifting back into ‘auto transmission’ and I already feel so much
more rested for it.
In this place of rest, I found myself remembering
something I had read in my precious second-in-importance-only-to-my-Bible
copy of Woman, Act Now. You don’t have a copy??? Girl, pls go
get yourself a copy like yesterday.
It’s an amazing book by my Coach, Mentor, Sister and Friend Coach Anna McCoy (www.womanactnow.com).
Each time I flip it open, there’s fresh word that ministers to my life and
purpose as a woman, as a child of God.
And that’s what I found myself thinking about ....’Purpose’.
Methinks too many of us are walking around trying
to ‘find our purpose’ in life. Truly,
a lot of us are walking around in an overhang; a perpetual sense that there is
so much more that we ought to be doing; a constantly underlying haze of
dissatisfaction with whatever the ‘status quo’ is at any point in time.
Sometimes, we find ourselves in a group of people and from their conversations
they appear to have a clear picture of what their lives are about and just where
they are going. If we are not careful, we leave their presence with an
increasing sense of hopelessness at our own apparent lack of direction.
Frustrations sometimes begin to build and manifest in our relationships and
reactions to various situations that come our way.
In this hazy state, we are unable to think clearly;
we may try to be ‘at least’ thankful for some of the blessings we see around
us; but in our heart of hearts, we carry a quiet grudge against life and the
seeming unfairness of our situations. Been there, done that! And No, it’s not
the greatest of places to be.
Purpose....
for some is clear and static. We usually think of purpose as that ‘One thing’ that when we begin to do, we
will be satisfied and fulfilled daily for the rest of our lives. However, Coach
Anna McCoy said in her book Woman, Act
Now and I quote: ‘Purpose is not
tangible; it is movement, direction’. She went further to define purpose as ‘Desire of mind and heart directed for the
fulfilment of godly instruction’. And then the icing on the cake, the ‘Aha!’ for me; she said ‘Based on my new understanding of the word
purpose, my responsibility has become to direct my passions, and, when I hear
or know what I am to do, persisting until I get it done. If I succeed in
following the instructions I have received, I am living my life on purpose.
It is purposeful.’
Wow! What an awesome revelation; a final solution
to any such purpose-oriented pressure’s as I may ever have had. Why? Because, I
have gone through times when I felt I was in my element – doing exactly what I
wanted and needed to be doing at that time; only to suddenly get ‘bored’ and
filled with a sense of dissatisfaction about... well....everything really, at
that point in time! For me, the futility of the constant quest to ‘find my
purpose’ has been laid to rest. I get it now! And as I write, I am reminded by
the Spirit that when He spoke to us at a retreat late last year, He said we
should not worry about the concealed will of God, but just walk in His revealed
will and the concealed will would be made clear to us.
I think how Coach Anna’s words align perfectly with
what God said. Perfect confirmation, if you ask me. I understand now that
purpose is not static; it is evolving. Purpose is not necessarily that ‘one
thing’; it is a series of ‘one things’ that God will have you do over the
course of your life, according to the gifting and abilities He has put in you. I
understand that the end of these ‘one things’ is that God will use me to fulfil His purpose and, as
long as I am fully persuaded that I have heard from God and I am walking in
obedience to His instructions, then I am fulfilling purpose and I will remain
in a place of peace.
I understand that God is a God of seasons, and that
when His instruction is for me to move, I need to yield and move into His next
assignment for me. To do this and maintain my peace, I realise that I must be
attentive always to the voice and the leadings of the Holy Spirit, so He can
guide me into an understanding of what He wills for me to do.... into His
purpose for my life in the new season. Yes, I must be intentional about being
led of God, and only in doing this will my life be purposeful.
Interestingly, my mandate from God and my anchor
word for 2012 is ‘Intentional’.
I see now a clear link between living the life of purpose as God defines this
to be for me, and the intentionality of remaining fully submitted to the
Spirit. I’m excited about this year and the rest of my life, and your life.
Have you been trying to figure out what your
purpose in life is? Be at peace, my sister. Come back to the place of ‘Zero’, that place of total submission
where you allow God to take absolute control. Trust Him at His Word that He has
plans for you, and that His plans for you are great. Ask Him to speak to you
about what He wants you to do, and ask Him for a heart that will be willing to
obey. Ask Him for clarity, so that the noise of life will not distract you. Choose to live your life ‘on purpose’ sis. And as you submit, the Lord will help you. He will
help me!
Be blessed, for you are blessed
Posts
