Truth be told, the vast majority of the world today are at a crossroad in life and don’t know where to go. There is no sense of purpose or direction; wondering which course is the best way to go but have no idea where they want to get to get to. They know that they don’t want to stay where they are but when asked where they want to go, they have no idea, all they know is that they don’t want to stay where they currently are. They are walking around oblivious to the fact that they have a purpose for being here and alive at this point in history.
I am of the opinion that the greatest discovery one can make is that of purpose. Until an individual discovers a sense of personal purpose and meaning in their lives, living is nothing more than a futile experiment in daily frustration. I am convinced that most of our destructive behavioral patterns such as senseless crimes, anti-social tendencies, economic and political corruption, and routine substance abuse are a direct result of the lack of the sense of purpose in the lives of members of our respective societies. I believe that a sense of purpose is the answer because purpose produces an attitude of responsibility, discipline, and order in one’s life.
Here are three reasons why you should pursue purpose:
1. Purpose gives you clarity
Persons on the pursuit of purpose have an acute awareness of their purpose and their time. When a person comes to the understanding that they are on a purpose-driven time-sensitive assignment, they become extremely deadly spiritually. This is because they begin to develop a laser-like focus on the task at hand. As a result, their time becomes extremely valuable to them and they don't have the time to waste it on anything or anyone that is not productive or in opposition to their assignment. That is what Paul meant in his letter to the Ephesians when he wrote the phrase "redeeming the time". He was saying that they already wasted enough time in the world and in laziness and now is the time to redeem it by focusing on doing things in relation to their purpose in their generation.
2. Purpose fulfills you
Let’s not fool ourselves, all of us struggle with various issues or challenges in our lives. But one of the dominating issues that plagues many of us today is a lack of fulfillment. Jesus tells us in John 10:10, “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” An abundant life is a life that is not void, or empty. Its life as it was meant to be lived—fulfilled. It has meaning and once you have tapped into the most authentic, genuine part of who you are, you won’t have to rely on artificial sources of happiness, energy, enthusiasm, passion to get you excited about living life. Nothing can replace living the way you were created to and doing what you were given life to do. Embracing your purpose validates the reason for your existence and significance. Once you can honestly say to yourself and others like Jesus said to Pilate: “for this cause was I born” (John 18:37), that is when you will have found fulfillment and be well on your way to a deeply and abundantly satisfying life.
3. Purpose increases your faith
A true life of faith can only be lived with a sense of purpose. Just living day to day and calling it faith doesn’t cut it because there is really nothing else to live for and that is why people get disheartened in their spiritual walk. Going back to the boat example – faith is the ability to go against the current despite how the current tries to disrupt the direction of the boat because the boat has an expected end; a destination to reach. If you don’t know where you are going, the current is going to discourage you to the point where you will give up because you don’t see the sense in going this direction anymore. The Word says: better is the end of a thing than the beginning (Ecclesiastes 7:8). The end result, the destination is always way better than where you started from but faith is the road that gets you there because we walk by faith and not by sight moving day by day from faith to faith.
Don't leave a trail of untapped potential and unrealized purpose because you have been convinced that it doesn’t exist. There is more to life than just what you are doing now, you just have to take the challenge of living out your designed purpose and make an impact in history whether it is in your immediate sphere or on a global scale. Don't be afraid to pursue purpose because it is in the pursuit that you find satisfaction and fulfillment that you are looking for in life.
Darren Wilson is an author, speaker, and entrepreneur based in Saint Martin. He is the author of four books including Designed for Purpose that is available on Amazon. For more information, visit his website at www.darrenwilsonglobal.com or email him at info@darrenwilsonglobal.com.