I was putting his clothes in his drawers when I noticed it. The wonderfully engraved name and doodles on the top of his dresser veneer. Ryan. Etched in wood. Forever. I cannot tell you some of the words I thought, but I can tell you that I gasped and then quickly yelled for that precious name etched in wood forever to come to me.
"Why did you do this, Ryan? You know that we don't damage furniture. Furniture is expensive. We want it to last a long time...and this piece now has your personal autograph. Forever."
"Oh, mom, I am sorry. I didn't do it on purpose. It was an accident."
"I didn't do it on purpose." Those words clearly infer that there was no meaning behind the action. There was no specific intent for the deed. There was no clear goal. Now we know that Ryan's actions most likely did have a goal (ha!), but I think about the times in my own life when I don't live on purpose. My days are not filled with meaningful moments, but rather aimless wandering. I treat time as waste, and throw it away.
Dear friends, God has purpose for our lives. He longs for us to live in the fullness of His love, mercy, and grace. He has great and wonderful plans for us that flaunt hope and anticipation. But we have to choose to live on purpose. It will not happen by accident. We have to choose to give our days to the One who is the Perfect Planner. We must "take up our crosses daily and follow Him." That is when we find purpose.
"Run in such a way as to get the prize. We do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air." 1 Corinthians 9: 24; 25b; 26
What is keeping you from living "on purpose?" Comment below. Or if you are reading by email, go here to comment. I would love to pray for you.
And join me each week, for "On Purpose Wednesdays." I can hardly wait! We will:
- discover and embrace the unique design God has given each of us
- seek to live a life "on purpose" using our God-given gifts and passion
Unwrapping the gift of His purpose,
Kelli
I am joining Soli Deo Gloria today @ Finding Heaven sharing what God is doing in my life.
8 comments:
I have similar etchings in furniture AND my vanity top in a bathroom. We also have some wonderful rubber stamp images of Goldar, the winged villain from Power Rangers on bed railing. I guess kids just do those things....by accident :)
Cute post.
Kelli. i am telling you what your blog is ministering to me and encouraging me in sooo many different ways. Thank you so much. I am working hard right now to live on purpose.. thanks for the encouragement.. i am praying for you.. keep up with your calling.. God is using you!
Wonderful challenge and so NEEDED for our busy everyday lives! I allow my mind to become so cluttered, that before I know it I'm just acting w/o thinking. I like to call it "INTENTIONAL Living" -- GREAT POST!
Yes! I so hear you on this -- living on purpose. Mine is not so much about aimlessness, but about living for other people as opposed to living for God. What a great reminder!
Shona, so glad we share yet another thing in common. :)
Jenn, Stay in it, girl! I am praying for you. Would love to see your smile!
Jen, living for other people is definitely something we will talk about as we journey together on Wednesdays! Thanks for your comments.
Rebekah, thanks for stopping by and commenting! I love the word "intentional." Kindred spirits!
Kelli, I am living a life of purpose after many years of sleep walking through life. I awaken from my slumber and find a life of passion and purpose brimming with excitement. I can't wait to greet my day!
It is sometime a stretch for me but God is teaching me to look for the purpose in the things I do. Since looking at things through these "Living on purpose" glasses I realized there were some things that I needed to give up. Some were in my personal life and others in my church, some of them saddened me to see them go. I know that He will replace them with the purpose He has for me.
Post a Comment