The Purpose Driven Life

The other night I was watching one of my guilty pleasure, the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, and one of the ladies was moving. I saw her pick up the book The Purpose Driven Life and pack it into a box. I had not thought of this book in years and yet it sat right beside me in the bookshelf in the living room. As soon as my quality TV program went off I picked up the book and blew off the dust and took it to bed with me. (Does this remind anyone of how I found out about Choosing to See?)
I don’t remember how long I’ve had the book or if I bought it or if my mom got it for me but I do know that I got in college. I remember wanting to read it and find out what my purpose was. I’ve never been the type of person that has a clear dream or desire about what I am suppose to do. Several thing interest me but I’ve never had a passion. Unfortunately, I never made it through the first chapter. It was just asking way too much of my selfish personality and I wasn’t ready to receive its principles that I never finished it.

This time I am committed. I am on the 11th day out of 40 consecutive days. I even made myself sign the commitment page to hold myself accountable. In the past 11 days, I have really learned some amazing lessons. All I can think about is how those lessons could have really impacted my life if I had been willing several years ago. Yesterday, I attended a conference where in a room of 50 or more women only two women raised their hands to show that they felt they were doing what they were meant to be doing career wise. I have the want it all mentality just like these other successful women whose hand wasn’t raised and I am not satisfied. I still find myself thinking all the time just like that younger version of me that I still don’t know what my purpose is for my life. But when I think purpose, I think career path. When in reality my purpose and my career path are two separate things. But I have learned some valuable lessons about my dissatisfactions.
1. My identity is in eternity and my homeland is in heaven. When I grasp this truth, I’ll stop worrying about “having it all”.
2. The fact that earth is not my homeland, explains why as followers of Christ we experience difficulty, sorrow and rejection in this world.
3. It also explains why some of God’s promises seem unfulfilled and some circumstances seem so unfair. It is because this is not the end of our story. Our story as Christians does not have an end because we have eternal life.
4. Our dissatisfaction helps us from becoming too attached to earth because we know our longings will never be fully fulfilled here.

I know these are lessons that I will have to remind my earthly brain often but I am so thankful to have received them. I have been less concerned about figuring out what I am supposed to do because I know my purpose. My purpose is to glorify God.