We Will See Purpose Awakened
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. - Jerimiah 29:11
In today’s world, the thought of missing your purpose is one of the greatest fears amongst people. Usually, purpose and what we do as a profession can become interchangeable. At the age of three we have people asking us – “what do you want to be when you grow up?” – usually something along the lines of a firefighter or a mermaid comes into play. Then we grow up and at the ripe age of seventeen, we are basically forced to pick a college major that could alter the course of our lives.
When I was a kid and was asked; “what do I want to be when I grow up?”, it was a dolphin trainer. 100% there was not a doubt in my mind! Fun fact, I once performed in a dolphin show at Sea World when I was six years old, and I knew that this is what I was meant to be. Then I grew up and realized that I really didn’t like getting my hair wet – or smelling like fish all day. So there went that dream of what I thought my life’s purpose would be.
Then a few years passed, I grew up a little more, and since the 7th grade, I knew I wanted to be a mom. I truly have felt that that is what the Lord has called me to be. I’m the oldest of six kids so I’ve always had ‘mother-tendencies’ so it seemed only natural that I would follow in the steps of my parents, get engaged at 21, married at 23, and start having kids by 26. Just for those who don’t know me personally - that’s not how my life has played out.
Isn’t it funny that we can be so caught up in what WE want for our life? We can be so sure of who God has made us to be, and yet when those pivotal timelines come and go, and you don’t see those dreams come to pass, we can think ‘wow, my life doesn’t look at all what I thought it would look like at this point! Does it mean I’ve missed my purpose?”
I don’t know where you are at in life. Maybe you feel like you’re supposed to be somewhere else, or “further along”. Maybe you feel overlooked or that your full potential hasn’t yet been reached. One verse that I’ve had to hold fast to when I feel like that is Proverbs 19:21: Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails.
Something I’ve learned from expecting to be somewhere and ending up somewhere else is that when you make a daily commitment to serve God and love people you can never miss out on your purpose.
Matthew 22:37-39: Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’
So sister, no matter where you are in life, whether you feel like you’re living your God-given purpose, or whether you’re still waiting to see your purpose awakened. Start with loving God and with loving people. I promise He will make the rest clear to you.
-Amy Siemens