Purpose in the Process

I have come to the in your face realization that I spend an awful lot of time trying to figure out what in the world I am supposed to be doing here on this earth. I know that comes as a shock since I write about purpose every week...  Yet, I struggle with "Am I getting it right?" You know, I have this fear of looking back at my life when I am older and having regrets. So, I pray, I read, I write, I research, I do life plans, and so on. And all of those have been extremely helpful. 

I started this whole On Purpose Wednesdays writing about the fact that we can't live life "by accident." We must be intentional.  And I still very much believe that and preach that. I also believe that we must have goals and life plans, or we will spend a lot of time wasting time. Being willy nilly, with no vision or direction. I believe we must seek Him with our whole hearts and He will show us the way -- 

but not necessarily the destination. 

I don't know about you, but when I go on a trip, one of my least favorite parts is the actual traveling piece. I am extremely prone to motion sickness. So whether I travel by car, boat, plane, or train, (yes, I have) I most always have to take a Dramamine or this girl is going to yak. Sorry, it's true. I really wish our scientists would figure out the whole "Beam me up, Scotty!" thing so that I can just be momentarily and motionlessly transferred to my destination. I just want to get there, for heaven's sake!

So, when trying to discern MY PURPOSE in life, I am equally as impatient. I want to just get there, ok? Why do we have to do all these trial runs? Make mistakes? Listen? Research? Seek counseling? I just want to get THERE, for heaven's sake! 

And so, last week as I was "researching" purpose for my sake and yours, I came across this written by Oswald Chambers...

What is my vision of God’s purpose for me? Whatever it may be, His purpose is for me to depend on Him and on His power now. If I can stay calm, faithful, and unconfused while in the middle of the turmoil of life, the goal of the purpose of God is being accomplished in me. God is not working toward a particular finish— His purpose is the process itself. What He desires for me is that I see “Him walking on the sea” with no shore, no success, nor goal in sight, but simply having the absolute certainty that everything is all right because I see “Him walking on the sea” (Mark 6:49). It is the process, not the outcome,that is glorifying to God.

What????  His purpose is in the process itself, ever drawing me near to him; ever growing my trust in Him; ever wooing me into relationship to Him; ever demonstrating His absolute love and grace and presence in my life.

While I spend (and waste) my time considering and agonizing over His purpose for my life, He is there in the moment ready to reveal that seeking Him, walking with Him, listening to Him -- well, that is my purpose. 

You see, God is not about having us ARRIVE. He is about having us JOURNEY.

-- and Dramamine is not required. 

Are you like me and find yourself just wanting to find that ultimate PURPOSE...to reach that destination? Please share so that we can encourage each other and pray for each other.  You have no idea how much your comments mean to this "newbie" writer. 

Unwrapping the gift of the journey with Him!

Kelli

linking up with my friend at 

and Courtney for the Women Living Well Blog Bash!

Simple, Obvious, But Powerful: On Purpose Wednesday

thanks, Dom Dada, Flickr

"I just can't figure it all out. I want to know what my purpose is. What I am here on earth for? I want to know God's plan for my life."

I hear this statement often as I counsel people. They are often perplexed and confused. I totally understand. I have been there and honestly, still find myself there from time to time. We all want to make sure that we are being obedient to God, that we are fulfilling the calling that He has placed on our lives.

A few weeks ago at a women's retreat, I was introduced to a new and wonderful song called "Come Away" by Jesus Culture. One of the verses says this:

I have a plan for you,

I have a plan for you,

It's gonna be wild,

It's gonna be great,

it's gonna be full of Me.

As I sang this song again this past Sunday morning, I was so focused on "the plan." I get so excited that God actually has a plan for me - a great and wild plan, how exciting!  So, what is this plan, God? And am I already on this plan? And then it hit me like a ton of bricks.  How I know that what I am doing is God's plan is not its wildness or its greatness. Because honestly there are a lot of plans that can be wild and great. The difference is that God's plan and purpose will always be full of Him. If I am caught up in a plan that is wild and great, but full of me, chances are it is not God's plan. Wow. What a simple, obvious, but powerful revelation.


Are you trying to figure out God's plan for your own life? Ask yourself, is this plan full of Him or full of me? If you struggles with this, I would love to know so that we can pray for each other! 

The song finishes out with, "Open up your heart and let Me in." Lord, if our plans and our hearts are full of ourselves, help us to open them up and let You in. Fill us, Lord, with You.


Unwrapping the gift of surrender,


Kelli

Celebrating Forty with Friends and My First Giveaway!

Yes, I turn the big 4-0 today.  
Do I feel older? Well, if you are talking about the fact that I have to hold books out a foot from my eyes now to read them, or the fact that my knees crack when I stand up, or that I feel the need to go to bed at around 9:30, then yes, I feel older. 


Honestly, I am incredibly blessed and I felt like today was a great day to celebrate His goodness in my life...and have a giveaway (that comes at the end.)


Today I am grateful for:


the fact that God loves me unconditionally and that after 40 years, I am really beginning to understand that love. I am thankful for my salvation, for my walk with Jesus, for my calling, and for the Spirit that enables me to fulfill that calling.


my husband of almost 20 years. He is an amazing man. I love him dearly and I am thankful that we have a marriage built on Christ.  We went to our first marriage retreat this year...and were affirmed that we were doing a lot of things right (by the grace of God!) He is my biggest fan...he just never comments on my blog.


my children. Bekah is 12 and wise beyond her years.  I think there is an old soul buried beneath that veneer of a young woman. She challenges me to slow down, to think deeply, and to love wholeheartedly.  Ryan is 8 and rocks my world. He always has. Ryan is a great kid with a big heart, a huge imagination, and a ginormous amount of energy.  My children are gifts that allow me to know and understand God better. And this was the year my family became complete in Christ when Ryan gave his heart to Jesus in July!


my extended family. So many I can't name, but I am thankful for all of them. I am blessed to have such an extended network of support.


my friends. You are one of them. Old friends. New friends. Thank you for your love,encouragement, and prayers. You are a blessing.


my church family. I love Christ Community Church.  I love serving alongside of such godly people who are passionately in love with Jesus.


my ministry at CCC. I never would have thought that I would be paid to do something I love so much. I absolutely love encouraging, equipping, and empowering people for ministry and seeing them reach their full potential in Christ.


my new emphasis on writing and speaking. Thanks to your encouragement and readership, I have been writing on this blog since July 4 and have written 33 blog posts on this blog and have guest blogged 3 times for others. I also went to my first speaker/writer conference  (She Speaks) this year and proposed my first book! I have been blessed to speak over 20 times, lead two bible studies, and speak for the first time internationally at a pastor's conference in Caracas, Venezuela. By His Grace and For His Glory!


These are just a few of many, many things I am thankful for.  Thank you for letting me share them with you.  


Now...for the giveaway...
I am giving away THREE books that have hugely ministered to me deeply this year and a Starbucks gift card (that ministers to me, too!)


The THREE books:
One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp
What Happens When Women Say Yes to God by Lysa TerKeurst
Sun Stand Still by Steven Furtick


Here's how you can enter to win:
1. Leave a comment on this blog and if you are feeling punchy, I would love to hear a subject you would love for me to blog about.


2. Spread the word about his giveaway via Social Media -
Facebook, Twitter, etc. and let me know that you did that by leaving a comment.  (Use the share link at the top of the page)


3. Follow me on Twitter (@kelliwommack). If you do already, thanks and let me know that !


4. Follow this blog by either signing up for it via email, Google Reader, or Networked blogs.  (You can do this all via the side bar.) Let me know that you did this by leaving a comment. If you already do, let me know that!


Thanks for helping me celebrate today!  I will post the four winners on Monday, October 17.  


Unwrapping the gifts of life,






Kelli


P.S. You have made my day.  I love you all!

The Purpose of Difficulty: On Purpose Wednesdays

It has already been "one of those days." And it is only 9:00 AM! I forgot to do something that is due on someone's desk -- today. I received an email with news I didn't want to hear -- and honestly don't want to deal with. I have a to-do list with at least 10 items -- and that is being conservative. And my seventh grade homeschooler is testing this week. 

I am a huge fan of Sarah Young and her "Jesus Calling" devotional. I read it every day and there are always words that stir my heart. Yesterday these words leaped off the page: 

Though the Holy Spirit is infinite, He deigns to be your Helper. He is always ready to offer assistance; all you need to do is ask. When the path before you looks easy and straightforward, you may be tempted to go it alone instead of relying on Me. This is when you are in the greatest danger of stumbling.        Jesus Calling by Sarah Young

Back to my day. The path does not look easy. I am struggling. And I found myself literally crying out to God for his help. His knowledge. His direction. His love. His mercy. His grace. I am in desperate need. I cannot do it by myself. 

Unfortunately, my yearning for Him is not as great when life is going great. 

It is in the difficulties that I am reminded that He is always present even when I am presently distracted.


It is in the difficulties that I trade my independence for His intervention.


It is in the difficulties that I see my great need of Him and His great love for me.


It is in the difficulties that I learn to trust Him even though He is always trustworthy.


It is in the difficulties that I realize my inadequacy and His insurmountable power.


It is in the difficulties that I am silenced and He speaks.

What do you learn in difficulties? I would love to hear from you today! If you are reading by email, you can click here to comment. 

Unwrapping the gift of difficulties,




Kelli








Linking with my sisters over at :

Can you Hear ME Now?: On Purpose Wednesdays

I couldn't do anything about it. I was in front of the room being interviewed as one of the retreat speakers and I heard it. My cell phone. I had forgotten to put it on vibrate when the session started. Now, I was being asked about my family and my hopes for the weekend and I could hear my cell phone talking in the back of the room. You see, I have one of those old wonderful cell phones that announce the caller out loud! (I have had it for over three years and have yet to figure out how to turn that announcer off.) So here I was helpless in the front of the room with my incessant phone repeating something over and over again.  I couldn't hear what it said, but I knew it was my phone. 

After the speaker interview session, we had a break and I went to the restroom. As I stood in line, (you know how we have to do that with lots of women and three stalls) my friend Jennifer inquired, "Did you hear that cell phone talking in the back?" I was embarrassed to tell her that it was mine. She asked, "Did you hear what it said?" I told her that I did not have a chance to go check it because I came straight to the restroom. (You know, borderline emergency.) She said, "I wrote down what it said. It spoke volumes to me." I was confused. My cell phone announcer had spoken volumes to someone who had to listen to its incessant announcing? Jennifer explained, "Your cell phone kept repeating...PLEASE ERASE OLD MESSAGES."  

I ran and grabbed my phone out of my purse and this was on the face of my phone:

The God who created the Universe and me, the God whose love for me is wide and high and deep and long, that same God has a message for me. But I have rejected that message many times because my recent memory bank was full of lies, labels, and false perceptions. 

"You are not good enough."

"Quit while you are ahead so that they won't think you're crazy."

"You are ugly...inside and out."

"You have no message worth hearing. Why do you think you have been called to speak and write?"

"You are worthless."

"You are a bad mom, a pitiful wife, and a terrible friend."

"You are alone in this world. No one really cares about you."

So for me to really walk in the calling that God has for me (as we talked about on Monday,) I must erase old messages. I have to intentionally remove those false, deceptive messages about myself so that I can fully embrace God's beautiful message of love, grace, hope, mercy, AND purpose. 

How do we do that?

We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:5

We have to erase and demolish every old message,thought, argument, pretension, philosophy and thought that is contrary to who God is and who we are in Him. 

Please erase old messages so that I can fill you up with My messages. ~God

Can you hear Me now?

Lord, we want to hear You. Please help us to tear down and erase any old messages that would keep us from hearing Your  voice.

I would love to hear your comments and I would love to pray for you as well. 

Unwrapping the gift of God's precious voice,

Kelli

linking with my friend, Joy at...

and 

The Sound of My Own Voice: On Purpose Wednesdays (or Thursdays!)

I am so excited to tell you that today I have the exciting privilege of guest posting over at the Southern Writers Magazine Blog -- Suite T!  (Have I told you how excited I am?)  In the article I talk about my constant comparison with others who are bloggers and writers and how I am discovering my own unique voice -- my purpose in writing. So, join me over at Suite T -- and pour yourself a glass of Sweet Tea while you read.  Enjoy!  Oh, and if you want to make a southern girl real happy, leave a comment over there and here...I am smiling already!
Here's the link:


The Sound of My Own Voice








Unwrapping the gift of my God-given unique voice,

Kelli

Identity Crisis: On Purpose Wednesdays

If you are new to On Purpose Wednesdays, you might want to read the first post and last week's post to catch up. I have so enjoyed sharing these personal insights with you as we desire to live "On Purpose" with God. The first week we discussed our need to make a choice to actually live with a purpose in mind, and not "by accident." And then last week, we discovered that to find our life purpose, all we really needed to do was "Seek Him." Sounds so simple, but so important.Today we lay another layer of that critical foundation necessary before we begin to live out our life purpose. Today we will talk about our identity in Christ.

For many years of my early adult life, I found myself in so many different positions trying to serve God. When someone asked me to teach middle schoolers on Sunday morning, I did. When someone else asked met to keep the nursery, I did it. When I was approached about singing in the choir, I said yes. When I was asked to lead a women's bible study, I did that as well. Are you getting the picture? I couldn't say no. But it wasn't just that. I couldn't say no because I thought that my relationship with God was rooted so much in what I did for Him. So, the more I did for Him, the greater our relationship would be. Somehow He would love me more. My service to Him served as the foundation of my relationship with Him. (Or so I thought.)

"As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased." Matthew 3: 16 -17

These verses provide a beautiful picture of God's relationship with Jesus. God speaks a word of identity over Jesus, "You are my Son. I love you so much! And I am so very proud of you!" Interesting that these significant words of relationship were spoken before Jesus ever performed the first act of ministry or service. That would come later.

So, what was God so proud of? Why did God love Jesus so much? It wasn't what Jesus had done. It was WHO he was. God calls Jesus His Beloved Son and says how delighted He is with him before Jesus began serving God and the people.

This is so important! It is so important to know that our identity is that we are children of God. Our relationship with God is based on who we are, not what we do for Him. If we don't realize that we are His Beloved period, we will somehow confuse our identity with our purpose. 

So, as I matured as a child of God, and I allowed God to speak truth of His grace and love into my life, I realized that my service had to come out of the overflow of His love for me. In other words, I am so overwhelmed by His love, I must share it with others by serving God and people. What a difference! My relationship with God became the foundation for my service to Him.

We must put first things first. We must be poured into before we can pour out. We must be fed before we can feed others. We must know who we are before we understand what we have been called to do. Identity before purpose. 

So, what do you think about this? Have you struggled with this? I would love to hear your comments. 

Unwrapping the gift of identity in Him,

Kelli

Linking up with Women Living Well Wednesdays, today.

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.

linking up with