What’s Your Purpose?

“…we will lovingly follow the truth at all times—speaking truly, dealing truly, living truly—and so become more and more in every way like Christ who is the Head of his body, the Church. Under his direction, the whole body is fitted together perfectly, and each part in its own special way helps the other parts, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.” (Eph. 4:15-16 TLB)

I believe that each and every one of us have been put here on this earth for some specific purpose.  I also believe that many people possibly never discover what that specific purpose really is.  This is unfortunate, because not only does that affect each person individually, but society at large.  Likely reasons for that lack of understanding are probably as unique as the individuals involved.  This could be a short list of some of the possible reasons:

1. They haven’t met their Creator, therefore haven’t had the opportunity to dig into the possibilities that are open to them as they lead a Christian life.
2. They have been coddled more than they should have been, so they think the world owes them rather than them having a responsibility to others – they’re selfish and self-absorbed.
3. They find themselves in a relationship with a person that is a controller and tend to do as that person expects rather than spreading their wings and finding their own unique place.
4. They lack confidence in what they think, say and do.  They believe that anything they can offer couldn’t possibly have any value – they are too concerned about how others view them.
5. They are perfectionists and any perceived failure causes them to underperform.

Many, if not most, of those issues have to do with low self-esteem and lack of confidence.  

A quote from MedicalNewsToday:  “A person with high levels of self-esteem will feel positively about themselves and recognize their good qualities.  In contrast, someone with low self-esteem may feel negatively about themselves and may not see themselves worthy of love, feeling good, or having a successful, happy life.  An individual may be confident about a certain ability or skill they have but have low self-esteem if they view themselves negatively.”

We need to learn and believe what our worth is, and the #1 issue in the above list is the key – we need to connect with our Creator and do our best to walk the Christian walk.  There are so many verses in the Bible that express our worth – reasons for positive self-esteem and confidence, but here are just a few of them that we should take to heart, to help understand the value that has been placed on each of us:

“For You shaped me, inside and out.  You knitted me together in my mother’s womb long before I took my first breath.  I will offer You my grateful heart, for I am Your unique creation, filled with wonder and awe.  You have approached even the smallest details with excellence; Your works are wonderful; carry this knowledge deep within my soul.”  (Psalm 139:13-14 VOICE)

“It is God himself who has made us what we are and given us new lives from Christ Jesus; and long ages ago he planned that we should spend these lives in helping others.”  (Eph. 2:10 TLB)  

“‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ says the Lord. ‘They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.’”  (Jer. 29:11 NLT)

But the two most important verses (in my opinion) that should make us fully aware of our worth are these:

“So God created humans in his own image. He created them to be like himself. He created them male and female.”  (Gen. 1:27 ERV)

“For God expressed His love for the world in this way: He gave His only Son so that whoever believes in Him will not face everlasting destruction, but will have everlasting life.”  (John 3:16 VOICE)

We should determine that our lives here on this earth, no matter how short or how long they are, should never be wasted.  So the bottom line in understanding what your purpose is in this life, is you need to understand and embrace your worth.  Grasp the facts that we were created in God’s image and that He loved us so much He sent Jesus to die in order that we might be saved from our sins and spend eternity in heaven.

Pray and ask God to help you believe in yourself with a full understanding of your worth; and, to reveal to you where you fit into the body of Christ and what your purpose is that should be fulfilled.  He won’t disappoint.

Written by Karran Martin – March 9, 2024

[All bold emphasis is mine]