A lot has been said and written on the idea of living a life of purpose, so much so that sometimes, it may put a person under pressure to figure out their life’s purpose right away.
When people try to understand their life’s purpose, it usually means that they want to know the assignment they would be carrying out for the rest of their lives.
The result is that many end up feeling quite stuck because they have such a huge standard. I mean, if you will be doing something for the rest of your life, it must be all kinds of Awesome, with a capital A. The problem is that as they consider every option, they wonder if they’ll still be interested in doing it in the next ten or twenty years.
Alternatively, they picture such a huge daunting project that would last them a lifetime and then they get stuck because it’s so huge they don’t even know where to start.
In the interest of wisdom and practicality, we need to put things in the right perspective. If you’re stuck in this position, perhaps you should stop trying to figure out the purpose for your entire life. It is easier and more liberating to focus on understanding your purpose for your current season of life.
If you’re like me, you’re still within the first half of your life. Trying to be sure of your entire life’s purpose will bring on a huge amount of pressure.
In any case, we’re not God. Only He knows what each person should and will be doing in each season of life. And even He wants us to trust Him and walk in faith, taking each season in stride.
What you need is to identify the work for the season and get to it. When the next season of your life turns up, if you need to change gears, you will. For now, just focus on what you’re doing in this season.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I do believe that God created us with certain tasks in mind. It’s just that you do not have to have the entire picture before you move forward. Your entire life’s purpose may look like different things at different seasons and periods of your life. How you carry out your purpose may vary with different seasons of your life.
You may have an idea of what you would like to be doing in a certain season of your life, but your life’s purpose has been designed to unfold with each season. Your different roles, experiences and talents will all be woven together into this unique and amazing purpose, such that if you looked back on your last day on earth, you would see a lovely, rich and purposeful tapestry that even you could not have planned. You may not have all the details right now and that’s okay.
Take things one step at a time, one season at a time. When you do it right in this season, the next season will be clearer.
