Purpose is a continuum

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