The Purpose of You

I believe God works in mysterious ways, at least to us. I have recently been thinking of my purpose in life. Two of the bloggers I follow and a couple of sermons I have watched while at my night job have been dealing with the purpose of our lives. One wrote that he wanted "to be free of the kingdom of me".

The statement really struck me. I don't want to follow a Jesus I have created in my own image. I am sure Jesus feels the same way. I have to say though for the past two years while I have been working two to three jobs at a time to provide for my family. I struggle to keep a clear perspective of Christ's true image and His purpose for me.

If you feel as I do you want to follow Christ as He is and not as you would have Him to be. This is true even in times of great struggle. We must remember that Christ put on the humility of humanity and suffered the greatest hardships of all. We should also accept that those hardships were part of the purpose the Father had for Him.

So it is with us. Each hardship is designed to not only fulfill the purpose He has for us. Each hardship is actually part of the very purpose God has for us. It is up to us to allow God to let these trials shape us.

What will you make of your trials? Will you put up walls around your "kingdom of me". Or, will you "carry your cross" and follow in the path of Jesus.

Sounds romantic doesn't it. Fulfill your purpose through great suffering. Sign me up... Can I have another Sir... Part of the purpose of you is to suffer hardships. I had a neighbor ask my wife "why are you still Christians?" This concerning the struggles we have faced over the past years. My wife's answer was "faith". to our neighbor, we seemed too peaceful to her. Even though it's a difficult time we have faith that Christ is helping us. Imagine how difficult the struggle would be without the peace that Christ was giving us? Even though I am ready for trial to end at any time, it is wonderful to know that this time has been a witness to our neighbor.

The purpose of you, among other things, is to be pleasing to Him in times of distress as well as in times of triumph. A daunting task indeed. Your purpose is more that a profession. It is more than a single triumph or defeat. It is a culmination your whole existence. Don't try to see it as an arrival to some mystic mountain top. Your purpose is the mystic journeys you take between the mountain tops. I pray that you are filled with a sense of Christ's peace as you continue to discover the purpose of you.