Purpose

Written by Petra Rodriguez

Purpose, is the reason for which something is done or created, or for which something exists.  In the book “The Purpose Driven Life” by Rick Warren, one of his catching quotes that grabs readers’ attention is “What On earth Am I Here For?”  Sometimes we may feel as if there is something missing or more that we should be doing, but we don’t exactly know what. 

In his book some of those titles are 1) You are not an accident 2) The reason for everything 3) What drives your life.  God knew exactly what He was doing, when He purposely, intentionally created each of us individually. Your birth was no mistake or mishap, and your life is no fluke of nature. You are a masterpiece! Your parents may have not planned you, but He did. Each of us was given different talents, gifts, and abilities.  This difference is no accident. You are unique, one of a kind! A masterpiece! You were not meant to be, look, act, and sound just like everyone else. 

These attributes are not meant to be kept for oneself and for selfish reasons. They were given to us to pay it forward, to benefit and help others and for others to benefit and help us….share it.  What drives you; what moves you: Everyone’s life is driven by something, guided, controlled, and directed. What’s your driving force: materialism, approval, fear, anger, guilt?  Is it love, trust, hope, giving, helping, and joy?

Knowing your purpose is a key to gaining meaning to your life.  The greatest tragedy is not death, but life without purpose! I’ve come to realize that purpose is LOVE….created intentionally to be loved and to love. These are some of the words that come to my mind when pondering the word purpose; loved, accepted, forgiven, significance, wanted, hope, prosperous, ability, favor, eternity, joy, breakthrough, victory, family, job, and life.

Consider those things in our lives that are put there that make no sense at the time, but eventually prepare us for that purpose in our lives.  Believe you’re here for a reason and that your purpose is greater.

“Your life has purpose. Your story is important. Your dreams count. Your voice matters. You were born to make a difference and an impact.” Genius Quotes

“The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away.” Pablo Picasso

REFLECTION

Think about the purpose in your life, sit and imagine how you were purposely made to come into existence, God planned it! Wow!  You have great significance in this life!

God’s Tunnel Vision

You can see your Goal, but how do you get there?

Written by Tina Cobian

…but when he saw the wind, he was afraid, beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord Save Me!” Matthew 14:23

There are so many negative connotations related to the expression “Tunnel Vision” but when you think about what it actually means in the spirit, it’s an amazing concept. In fact one natural cause of Tunnel Vision is through extreme elation or a surge of adrenaline. How many times have you caught hold of a dream or a vision God has for you and you take off towards your goal with His tunnel vision? All you can see is that finish line God has placed at the end. God’s Tunnel Vision is not dark and gloomy, like one would picture in the natural. In God’s tunnel vision, His light surrounds you and marks your goal. However, when you become distracted by life, storms, fear, people and false visions, that tunnel can quickly turn into a dark and gloomy place.

Are you lost in the dark tunnel vision? Do you feel weak, lonely and scared? Is the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel now so far off that you can barely remember the dream or the vision much less see it clearly? Maybe you have somehow exchanged God’s tunnel vision for the wrong vision. I have to think about Joseph and the dream that God gave him. He saw the sun, the moon and the stars bowing down to him. In the pit he had to remind himself of that vision and recognize that where he was at that moment was not his final destination. Each time, through every trial, he reminded himself of the higher purpose of God in his life. Even the day he looked out over all Pharaoh had given him charge over, at all of his possessions, the treasures and even his family. He must have gazed out at the night sky from his bedroom in the palace and said to himself. “I see the sun, the moon and the stars and THIS is not my final destination. He knew that God had further purpose for him and his dream had not yet been realized.

I would love to say that on every one of my trips through that tunnel, I slid happily through it on a rainbow where puffy clouds of cotton candy (with no calories) met me at every twist and turn until I finally arrived at my destination. The truth is that there are struggles along the way and realizing your dreams will not always come easy. I can compare one of my journeys to a trip our family took to a water park. I decided to take a ride on a giant water slide. I sat down at the top and as I let go, I realized how high I was and how fast I was going. I became fearful and put my hands out to slow myself down. Have you ever tried to pull a water balloon through a tube? (Please don’t camp there in that visual, you may never reach the end of this story.) Well that was me inching my way to the bottom of this long winding water slide. In an attempt to save some portion of my pride I let go of the walls right before my triumphant exit. I pictured my children’s applause, heard it, and envisioned the moment. The problem was that I had just enough time to gain enough momentum, get scared, and make a failed attempt to stop myself as I shot out of the tube flipped over and landed face down in the water. Yes, my children saw me. No they did not applaud.

Have you ever asked God why it isn’t just a straight shot from vision to end goal? Here is what happens in these times of trials or times when you see the goal but don’t know how to get there. You turn to Father and ask. There will be plenty of questions on the way and He has all the
answers. As an example, I started a new job about a year or so ago. The work can be difficult and every day I am met with one or more questions or problems I simply cannot answer or fix on my own. The company placed me right next to a mentor and when I get stuck, I go to her for answers. Throughout this year, I have had the great pleasure of getting to know her beyond the relationship of “co-worker”. She is my friend and the process I have gone through daily with her has allowed me to build that relationship…are you getting it?

So we catch the vision, we are awakened to a dream, we get God’s tunnel vision and take off. Remember that we can take and keep hold of His hand the entire time. He knows each step we need to take and when each step needs to be taken. He delights in the journey with us and will impart wisdom in the process. It can be exciting to try and run ahead but the dream will only be realized in His perfect time. If you get lost, stop and listen for His voice to get you back on track and back into HIS tunnel vision…Be encouraged for hasn’t He declared to you that He KNOWS the plans that He has for you…? (Jeremiah 29:11)There is such power in that scripture. God, Himself is speaking purpose over our lives, we just have to keep focused.