by Sis Dorcas & Bro Kayode.
Have you ever felt purposeless or felt that your existence was pointless, and you would not be missed if you disappeared? Truth is, you’re not the only one; we have all felt that way at a point in our lives. It is one of the greatest questions that have plagued men from ages. Nature abhors vacuum; the inability to find meaning in life creates a torturous vacuum in many people that leads them to down through unimaginable paths. For some, their assumed purpose is found in pleasure. For others, purpose is found in career, sex, sport, pursuit of money, pursuit of power, etc. The likes of Alexander the Great pursued power and greatness, managed to conquer most of the then known world and at a point busted into tears as there were no more worlds to conquer. While conquering was his purpose and primary pursuit in life, he suddenly found the absence of more lands to conquer left him bereft of purpose. When we do not know what we are created for, any other usage we put ourselves to constitutes abuse in the eyes of God who created us for a specific reason. While we might be celebrated and accumulate worldly accolades for some noble accomplishments, we might be doing something we are not put on earth for. Despite all these accomplishments, many are still left with a feeling of emptiness.
Every single person on this planet has A DIVINE PURPOSE designed by a loving Creator – GOD. So, what is God’s purpose for me then, you ask? The truth is, only God knows BUT that doesn’t mean you can’t find out. We are all created to bring pleasure to God.
We need to come away from the mindset that thinks everything happens by chance. There is absolutely no accident in everything God created. There is nothing in nature that is useless or without purpose. There was the story of a landlord that became fed up with the presence of ants in his building. He brought in pest controllers and they got rid of the ants. Before long, termites invaded his house, eating into the wooden structure of the building. He was alarmed. He was later made to know that the ants were feeding on the termites before, but when the ants were removed, the population of the termites exploded, leading to an infestation. The purpose of the ants was to keep the population of the termites in check. The landlord did not know this until it was almost too late. Each and every one of us is an answer to a problem or challenge in the world. Our presence on earth is not a chance or mistake at all.
In order to find our purpose in life we need to be mindful of these seven principles: Seed, Environment, Origin, Gifts, Season, Opportunity, and Calling. These are general principles and they apply to all of us. The seed of everything in creation is what it utilises in replicating itself and it is unique to such creation. When a tree releases its seed into the ground, we soon have a forest.
When a farmer releases his seed, he’ll soon have a harvest. When you release what you have, you find your purpose. It might be time, money, energy, skill, gift – these are your seeds. When you plant your seed, you reap a harvest. Hence, your purpose, at any given time is a function of the seed you release. While there is an ultimate purpose for your life, the discovery is often unravelled layer by layer as you release your seed per time.
The environment you find yourself often is an indication of your purpose. Many people often believe they’re living in the wrong city. While this might be the case if your chosen profession lacks a market for your skill, there might be issues lacking in your locality that only someone with your set of skills can address. Winston Churchill was a writer, artist, soldier and a politician. Prior to becoming a prime minister and leading Britain to victory in WW2, he was almost a failed politician. But his set of skills, experience and even failures prepared him for his destiny just by being at the right place at the right time.
The origin of a thing is often an indication of the destination of a thing. If you take a long and hard look at your past, it is often an indication of how God, in his providence, has channelled your life, including all the mistakes as well. The mistake of Joseph in telling his dream got him into Egypt. Everything in your past; your choices and your accidents, are all indications of where destiny is leading you to.
The natural gifts you have is an indication as to why you’ve been placed here on earth. God created you because there’s a problem that He needs you to solve, and you are equipped to solve it. This might not have anything to do with your job or qualification, – it might be to help a cause or charity, support your spouse, bring up a genius, impact the life of a child as a teacher, help compose a song (or songs) that will have a positive impact on generations yet unborn. Your gifts, talents and skills are your destiny calling you from inside your innermost being.
Seasons can also indicate your purpose. For Esther, she was placed in the palace at a crucial season. Her uncle even alluded to it by asking “and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” Joseph was made relevant in Egypt by the season of famine. Samuel was born in a season when Israel needed a prophet. You may have come into the world because of this season and your skills might just be what is needed in your family, church, community, country or the world at large.
The opportunities that God brings our ways can often be an indication of the direction of our calling. When you discover certain types of opportunities are always coming your way, which others seem to miss out on or never are able to come by, know God is nudging you in the direction of your destiny – step forward and grab the opportunity by the horn.
The last one is your calling. This is one of those rare cases where God speaks to you directly and tells you what your calling is as in the case of Jeremiah, Moses and many more. In such cases, God shows you he has called you to carry out a specific assignment and all you have to do is pray for God’s directions and follow it.
We cannot fulfil our purpose without coming into a relationship with God through salvation: turning away from sin and accepting Jesus as our Lord and Saviour. Having a living relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ opens up a whole world of opportunities to fulfilling our purpose.