part 1.
what is purpose?
What is purpose? What is living purposefully?
The word purpose is thrown around a TON. It has different meanings and emphases and implications to different people and groups. Since purpose is the main topic here at She Lives Purposefully – I wanted to clarify just exactly what we see purpose as, or rather exactly what we believe God says about purpose.
Is purpose about what we become? What we accomplish? The impact we make? Is it focused on how hard we work? On what we do? On who we please? On someone else? Do we each have a purpose? Are our purposes different?
This is something I’ve been wanting to touch on for months but something I wanted to clarify in my own heart and mind before speaking it out.
I recently watched a documentary called The American Gospel that recognized an emphasis on SELF that is so prevalent in our culture and even (more specifically for our ‘purposes’ here) Christian culture. They emphasized that even our talk of Christian purpose has become so much about what God wants for US, on what WE can do, on who WE are, on what WE can accomplish, on the great things God calls US to.
And before I continue, I believe those things but just with a different – majorly important – emphasis.
I believe GOD WANTS things for us, I believe HE CALLS us to do… FOR HIM, I believe HE DEFINES who we are, I believe HE CALLS us to not waste what HE CALLS us to do FOR HIM.
But as I’ve surfed the Christian Insta world, I’ve noticed and been confused by the very me-centered Christian culture that speaks to purpose.
The documentary and verses I happened to be studying at the same time helped me realize that PURPOSE, my purpose, is not about me at all.
It involves me, ABSOLUTELY. God cares about me, wants good for me and has plans for me. But purpose – the general and specific purposes particular to me are ALL REVOLVED around God.
God has a purpose – He involves us in it. Therefore, we have purpose.
We’ll dive in deeper in part 2 of What Is Purpose, but for now, cling to the truth that purpose is not about you. God wants to use you and it’s SO incredible that He does. But life is about God’s purpose and if we’re going to step into that.
XO,
Meg