Wednesday, September 07, 2011

Three Ways to Identify Life Purpose: On Purpose Wednesdays

As I was preparing to write today's post, I googled "Living on purpose." I was struck by the results. Only two out of ten google results had anything to say about God. What does that say to me? That the world is searching for purpose, and they are finding lots of answers, but little truth.

This not only saddens me, but it drives me.  It motivates me to share the TRUTH about living on purpose and with purpose. Yes, I agree with some of these self-help gurus that proclaim that living on purpose means finding what you really love to do and getting busy doing it. I also agree that living on purpose doesn't happen overnight, it is a process of honing your talents and your skills. And finally, I would also concur that we all have unique purposes in life and our passion encourages our purpose. 

"We humans keep brainstorming options and plans, but God's purpose prevails." Proverbs 19:21 Msg

Finding out what we love to do is so important. Discovering and developing our talents and skills is also crucial to purposeful living. In fact, we will discuss all of these things as we progress through "On Purpose Wednesdays." However, I felt it critical to lay a strong foundation before we get going. 

We can plan and dream and work hard. We can figure out what our passions are and seek to pursue them. But if we don't involve God in the process, our efforts are futile. Why? Because we serve a God who desires relationship with us. A God who has a "plan for us, plans to prosper us, to give us hope and a future." (Jeremiah 29:11) A God who loves us and has a purpose for our lives.

I wrestled with my life purpose for many years. What do I do? Where do I do it? When do I do it? How do I do it? I desperately wanted answers. I cried out to the Lord and every time I got the same answer. "Just seek me." That's it. It wasn't an answer I expected. It also wasn't the answer I wanted. I wanted details, but He provided the only answer that mattered. By seeking Him and walking with Him daily, He would show me what He wanted me to do, and where, when, and how he wanted me to do it. He didn't want me to seek a purpose in life, He wanted me to seek Him.

So, here are three ways to figure out your life purpose:
1. Seek Him.
2. Seek Him.
3. Seek Him.

It's really that simple. And when you seek Him, life in its fullest form abounds. 

“When you come looking for me, you’ll find me. “Yes, when you get serious about finding me and want it more than anything else, I’ll make sure you won’t be disappointed.” Jeremiah 29: 13  MSG


It's your turn to respond. Have you struggled with figuring out your life purpose? Are you seeking God or others for answers? I would love to know your thoughts. If you are reading this by email, you can click here to comment.

Stay tuned for next Wednesday...we'll be talking about identity.


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8 comments:

Tera said...

Thank you sweet Kelli......these words are just what I needed today...I'm Seeking His Will, and Trusting His Answers. :)

Dawn Aldrich said...

Kelli, this is so true. Nothing we can do matters unless we first seek His face with all our heart. And, when we do, we find Him.

Dawn Aldrich said...

Kelli, how true. Nothing we do matters unless we first seek His face with all our heart. And, when we do, we find His purpose for us.

Shannon @ Distracted by Prayer said...

Hi Miss Kelli,
This topic keeps crossing my path lately. I was thrilled to realize that my purpose lies in the places of greatest joy in my life.
Not only did this make my Christian walk much easier and more fulfilling, it also changed my view of God.
Imagine- He wants me to ENJOY life!

Amy said...

I have struggled finding my purpose in life because I wasn't seeking Him. I now know that my purpose is simply to glorify his name. I am continuing to seek his direction to define how that purpose looks in my life.

Jennifer Corcione said...

Kelli -
This post really struck home for me. I am definitely struggling with finding purpose. After I lost my job last January it almost sent me in a tailspin. I am slowly seeing the light and hoping things turn around. I seem to feel His tugging at me but I can't make sense of what it means. I've dedicated a lot of my life to helping others (in volunteer settings) and my dream is to open a transitional facility for women coming out of prison. Maybe He is telling me to go for it? Either way, I will take your advice and Seek Him first. Hopefully it will clear the dust from my brain and lead to me living my dream. :)

Kelli Williams Wommack said...

Tera, I am so glad God met you where you are!

Dawn, thank you for agreeing that God is all that matters.

Shannon, so glad to hear from you and what God is continuing to do in your life.

Amy, I will pray for direction for you. Thanks for stopping by!

Jennifer, aka DKG, I am honored and humbled that you read my blog and commented. God has such a great plan for you girl. I am praying for you. Trust God, He knows what He's doing!

Unknown said...

Love that - seek Him. He satisfies...