There I was, this morning, on the back deck of my house. I was enjoying the beauty of the atmosphere. It was early morning, and it seemed as though I was the only person awake in the neighborhood. I’m sure I wasn’t, but that is what I felt. As I communed with God, the birds sang out what I consider to be melodies and harmonies. God created them to make these extraordinary ballads. It adds to the ambiance of the scene set before me.
If you haven’t done this, I would highly recommend to try to sit outside in a comfortable place, and just listen to the sounds around you. You will likely notice various sounds. Then think about the purpose of them. You will likely notice the birds that I just mentioned. Depending on where you live, you may hear sirens, such as a firetruck siren. The purpose of that siren is to warn people to get out of the way of that firetruck as it races to whatever emergent scene it is traveling to. You may hear a car alarm whose purpose is to make a bunch of noise to bring attention to a possible break in, or in my case, to make me remember that I didn’t turn off the car alarm before opening the door to my car.
Whether we know it or not, we all have a purpose. But what is a purpose? And, more importantly, what is my purpose? Well, that is the question that I am going to attempt to answer for myself. But if you want to know yours, keep reading and pray to God to reveal His specific purpose.
I have been hurrying through life, trying to fulfill every task I think I need to have done. I have been cleaning, reading, helping, serving, studying, mothering, wife-ing, doing, being, etc. Basically, I have been keeping myself super busy with things that I think I may be supposed to be doing, but the list of things that I do keeps getting longer every day. I will check one off of the list when done, and then add two or three more things on there. These tasks aren’t particularly helping to fulfill my purpose. Some are, but some are just a task to help in my procrastination issues.
Ultimately, our purpose is to glorify God. In word, thought, and deed, we are to give God glory for anything and everything. In 1 Corinthians 10:31, we read Paul say to the Corinthians, “So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” In everything we say or do, we are to do ‘to the glory of God’. God has given us everything we need. He also gave us free will to do what we want. That is where I struggle: free will.
I remember years ago, praying and asking God to take my free will away from me so that I would always do the right thing and please Him. He reminded me that true love comes by means of free will. I deeply and truly love God so much. And my mindset was fixed on giving Him everything, but I kept doing things that were not in line with what God laid out in His Word. I kept messing up. And when I prayed for Him to take my free will, it was because I didn’t want to mess up and displease Him. I wanted Him to know how much I truly love Him by doing all the right things and saying all of the right things. I wanted to prove that I love Him. However, in maturing (some), He has lovingly and patiently taught me that He is seeing my devotion. He longs for love, devotion, and obedience (in that order). He is longing for our hearts more than any activity or task.
All of us have a purpose to glorify Him. However, we have more specific purposes tailored to His plan. And I know I struggle to see the specific purpose laid out by God for me. As I said earlier, I prayed that God would take away my free will. Psalm 57:2 says, “I cry out to God Most High, to God who fulfills His purpose for me.” Then the psalmist says in the last half of verse 3, “God will send out His steadfast love and His faithfulness!” He sends out His will to be done. He is faithful, and He loves us so much. He had a purpose in mind when He created us.
Thinking about my specific purpose leads me to the overall purpose of glorifying God. Then that leads me back to thinking about my specific purpose in light of the overall purpose. Psalm 119:105 says, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” The image of light is that of God’s guidance. Psalm 112:4 says, “Light dawns in the darkness for the upright; He is gracious, merciful, and righteous.” God’s guidance makes the right path clear for those who pursue His covenant faithfulness. And that ‘path’ refers to the moral orientation to our life.
Another reminder – and ultimately to me an encouragement – is what is found in Proverbs 4:18, “the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day.” What an encouragement! The more I follow His path, the easier it is to see. In the beginning of our walk, the ‘path of righteousness’ was dim, but still brighter than the ‘way of the wicked’. The picture that we get from this proverb is like seeing the sunrise over the horizon, and it becoming brighter and brighter until noon when the sun appears at its brightest. It keeps increasing in the way in which it displays God’s light. Our purpose only becomes more clear when we are following Him. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. (John 14:6)” Following Jesus shows us the path and purpose we have to follow.
Hopefully, you get a chance to sit outside before the household gets up and the busyness of the day begins. I hope that you have a moment to enjoy God and His creation. As you enjoy Him remember that He loves you so much that He made a way of reconnecting with you, and He has a specific plan for you that is good for you and glorifying for Him. Rest in His goodness and peace.
Gotta go fill up my cup…..
Coffee with Candee 