purpose and destiny.
Purpose and destiny have been keywords in the Church for two decades.
In 1995, Rick Warren wrote the book, The Purpose Driven Church. I devoured it in 2 days.
Not only did it resonate with my purpose-driven personality, it was a good fit for the American culture.
Then came The Purpose Driven Life. A book that nudges us from feeling unvalued or unloved and giving us meaning for our life.
Both books are great. No matter what your story is, you are loved, qualified, and have a purpose on earth. This is wonderful news!
But there's more. I think in good faith we latch onto our mission (e.g. purpose) and we think about it one way. In this case, how we define purpose.
Purpose is not defined only through visible productivity. In other words, if you don't see me doing much, does it mean I am not?
Then, does that mean I am not living with purpose?
That I am not fulfilling my destiny?
Does everything we do have to be seen to be qualified in order to have purpose? And if so, by whom?
So we hear the message of purpose and destiny - a good message - and launch out into it. It's exciting and fulfilling. But just like the recent article on kids becoming narcissists with receiving too much praise, living solely with purpose and destiny as our compass, eventually may create high expectations of return with our investment of time, energy, and obedience to God.
But what happens when you have an unforseen event happen? And you are not so productive? Do you see yourself missing the mark because you are not fulfilling your standard of purpose? Or someone else's standard?
There are detours and dead ends in life. Financial stresses, sickness, and death. Betrayals, disunity, and unfairness. These things contribute to our purpose and destiny if we will see it that way. It may, out of necessity, make us change course. Not because we have lost faith, but because God is showing us something in the midst of it.
Instead of seeing these events as obstacles, we should embrace them, knowing God is working something far greater in us, through us, and ultimately for his Church.
If our whole identity is wrapped up in how we (or others) have defined purpose and destiny, we will be knocked off our pedestal feet when something goes wrong.
None of us want to go "backward" in life. But really, I think it's forward.
Perhaps you have never been in the limelight to prove you have purpose. Do you feel less-than because you just hand out cups of water?
Your compliment to the cashier at Walmart counts.
Your silent response when people talk about you behind your back counts.
Your care for people in the community, who are not church goers, counts.
God sees it all.
God counts it all.
God's ways are not ours and he doesn't think like we do. His plan is to work things together for good for his greater purpose and destiny for the Church.
Your purpose and destiny is living a steady-as-she goes life that may not include all the bells and whistles or lights, camera, and action for onlookers. It may not even attract anyone's attention.
Then again, Jesus was didn't capture our attention, either ...
He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.