FINDING YOUR LIFE’S PURPOSE

Discovering one’s purpose in life is a big deal. Many people struggle to find purpose. Many have wrong notion about purpose or believe that they do not have any purpose, and that life has no meaning. This is not true. God created everyone uniquely with and for a purpose. He made each of us an influencer to positively impact the world if and when what He deposited in us is harnessed and applied properly.

Identifying our purpose plays an important role in our health and wellbeing because we are constantly seeking to know the meaning of life. Therefore, knowing our purpose points us to the meaning of our existence. Our quest to find our purpose does not start and end at discovering what it may be, our purpose is enhanced by divine and personal resources that will encourage our pursuit of our life’s purpose. We need to evaluate our life, by way of Situation Analysis. Typical questions to consider in your situation analysis may include: 1) Who am I? 2)       Why am I here? 3) Where am I going from here? 4)How can I make a mark?

The next step will be to identify a Plan of Action. This plan of action lays out procedurally what you need to put in place that would guide you in what you need to do; then you follow up or pursue the plan of action with Implementation. It takes discipline to follow through/implement a plan of action. Finally, you have to measure and evaluate the outcomes of your plans and implementation. In all of these you need energy, willpower, patience and discipline. This is a process that is continuous and not a one-off magic formula.

The recognition of the above process will prepare us to keep focus, find fulfilment, have a healthier life style and make better choices.

However, the process may be somewhat different across different categories of people(demography) and will need understandable adjustments and guidance. Let us consider the following guidelines in encouraging teenagers and youths find their purpose:

1. Parents and older people around should endeavour to consistently, live a lifestyle that tells from afar that their lives have a purpose, that will encourage these young people and help them see the real model of purposeful life.
2. Older people should hand down (to posterity), morality and values.
3. Older people should emphasise the need to show gratitude and to be thankful when a good deed is done. Displaying the attitude of gratitude is a very good way of instilling the spirit of brotherliness and neighbour’s keeper in younger ones, awakening good manners which in turn could lead to purpose and realising life’s meaning. What we do tell a lot of who we are.
4. Teach younger ones about the importance of family and community. Giving quality service to our community replenishes our environment, and encourages the unity and mutual cooperation. Young people who are brought up in an environment where love exists, will develop warmth and cheerful disposition and would want to give back to their society in future. In rendering service, they could easily discover their purpose sooner than expected and will be spared of the dilemma of groping for life’s purpose in the murky waters of vanity or dark alleys of hopelessness.
5. Younger people should be encouraged to look beyond here and now but be optimistic and enthusiastic about life and the future.  

In searching for purpose, we may want to give a close look at what we are passionate about, this could be pointing out something very important to us. But if you are like me, it may be difficult to pin point one thing you are passionate about because I love doing so many things. For example, I love hospital visitation, I love helping people in need, I love cooking and entertaining, I find great joy in giving service. In all of these one would find purpose that will eventually add to life’s meaning and value to our mutual coexistence as children of God. 

There is a tendency that some people may not realise how important and impactful the things they do are in people’s lives especially because those virtuous qualities flow freely from us so we may not see them as big things. We may need to pay a very close attention to remarks people make about us, better still, ask people what comes to their mind when we/our names come to their mind. Think about your passion, or that subject that makes you happy and brings out your creativity. Pray about these, ask God to make it clear to you and reveal your purpose to you. In doing or harnessing your purpose, life becomes very meaningful. There may be a subject, idea, issue, concern that makes your blood boil. It could be that you do not like how house helps are treated, or how childless women are marginalized in your area, maybe you love sewing, knitting, cooking, etc. Brainstorm how you can turn your passion into something that can positively impact lives. There must be a cause you are created to crusade or champion. Look for it by praying about it. You have a purpose, and nobody can do your purpose better than you. 

Let us bear in mind that our purpose in life is not necessarily the one thing we are doing now, or just one cause to crusade, we may discover that as we are doing one, another may pop up. Follow it without putting an end to what you were doing. We are already equipped. Don’t forget that we are created by the big God who made the whole universe and everything in it. He breathed His breath into us and called us co-creators. It is no surprise to me at all that He made us with a purpose for a purpose, and empowered us to find the meaning of life through our purpose.

Yours in Christ,

Lilian Chudey Pride