Soul Care - Purpose
by Mary Elsbury
Adults often ask children, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Answers range from being a mommy or daddy to an astronaut, doctor, actor, singer, dancer – endless possibilities and opportunities as seen through the eyes of little ones. I was convinced that I would be a world traveler and writer. While both of those things came true to a point, as a Christian, I have learned that there is a greater purpose for my life.
The Bible is very clear that the ultimate purpose of every life is to know and have a personal relationship with God. There is a purpose for everyone. Exodus 9:16 states “I [God] have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” How we achieve that is where people often get hung up. As a child of God, the most important thing to understand is that our relationship is with Abba Father - an actual “person.” We need to interact with him as a real person in daily life – by sharing our concerns with him AND listening to his guidance.
Another aspect of our purpose is to recognize that we are disciples of Christ. Disciples are people who voluntarily attach themselves to a master, in order to learn how to become like the master. This involves setting aside personal gain and taking on the purpose of the master. Through my college years, I studied opera and social work. Coming to The Creek, I thought I would put my music background to good use. But they didn’t need me singing. They had only one person dealing with technology, so I learned to design the song and sermon slides. It is in that niche that I still find myself, supporting others that present the Gospel upfront, while I take a backseat. My purpose is to show off His Word, not my talents.
Hard times can make it difficult to see God’s purpose, especially when we only feel pain and grief: cancer, unemployment, divorce, death. We don’t want to be reminded that God is working within those difficulties for our good. The Apostle Paul reminds us in Romans 8:28, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” If we practice living with the mindset that God is working things out for us, we can have smoother transition of accepting truth during the hard days.
Too many Christians don’t ever really consider their life to have a purpose beyond their own personal desires. As a result, they decide what they want to do in life, prepare themselves to do that work, then go about living life based on the direction they chose. For a Christian, though, that is simply wrong. God’s purpose, not our own, is primary. Many Christians think of God’s calling as something that applies to only a small subset of people. They think of God’s calling in terms of vocational ministry. God’s desire is that everyone have people around them who can point them to Jesus. A plumber or doctor is just as called into God’s work as is the pastor or missionary; it is just that the vocational platform is different.
Our lives need to begin with an understanding of God’s purpose. As we grow, we learn to make decisions that allow us to fulfill that purpose. It is not something that just applies to a particularly “dedicated” portion of the Christian community, it applies to every believer.
Now about my young dreams of being a world traveler and writer … I can see that God continues to grow that in me. I have been all over the world and met many amazing people. My writing skills have allowed me to promote various ministries and provide thoughts on all kinds of topics. My purpose is to walk daily with God so that He can be seen through me.
