You see, the older I get, the less time and purpose I have to waste.
That sounds sad, I know. BUT… it’s something that’s been on my mind. I have noticed that over the last six months or so, I am becoming increasingly intolerant of fruitless pursuits. I have no patience when it comes to spending my time on things that aren’t fruitful, meaningful or aligned with my calling.
My heart just isn’t into it… I’m wanting to live life! I’m wanting to live the calling God has placed on my heart. It’s lead me to spend a lot of time thinking about purpose.
Sunday night is Murphy Movie Night, and one night my daughter chose a movie called “Dumplin” which is loaded with Dolly Parton’s music and quotes. There was one Dolly quote that got my full attention, though…
Find out who you are and do it on purpose.”
This one quote seemed to sum up everything I’d been working through these last few months. My desire to pursue things that are fruitful and meaningful needed to be done on purpose. As soon as I heard it, I knew this week was going to be one of revelation.
Purpose is intentional
This seems like a no brainer, but it actually took more revelation from the Lord for me to truly understand it. He seemed to back up Dolly’s quote because Proverbs 4:25 says:
Set your gaze on the path before you. With fixed purpose, looking straight ahead, ignore life’s distractions.”
It says “with fixed purpose” – so purpose is intentional. That’s an aha moment for me right there!
We’re to have purpose about how we live our life. To do it on purpose! This verse tells us that life is going to throw us distractions, but we’re to ignore them, and with fixed purpose, set our gaze on the path before us and do what we’ve set out to do.
There is Divine Purpose over our life
So all of this is great, but how can you set out with intention if you have no idea where you’re going? This is where purpose starts to get absolutely huge and mind blowing… I’m going to do my best to bring things together, so bear with me as best you can.
In Jeremiah 29:11, it says that the Lord has a plan for us, He has a purpose for our lives. The plan He has for you is going to be different to the plan He has for me. Basically, He has a plan that He’s tailor made for each of us. Remember, He says we’re His masterpiece, we’re something He’s spent a lot of time working on and He has a plan for our lives. He has purpose for us, and often we feel it as a calling.
Work in progress
What if you don’t know your calling?
Gosh I’ve been there. Callings are funny things… for some people they are as clear as crystal, for others they’re as elusive as quicksilver. As Dolly says you need to “find out who you are.” Sometimes you need to set your gaze, with fixed purpose, and ignore life’s distractions to find your calling or purpose to life.
For me, my calling was elusive and I don’t think I really found it until this last year or so. I want to recommend a couple of things that have helped me, perhaps they’ll help you on your quest.
The first is Prayer
The first is prayer – prayer that you pray yourself and prayer from others. I have been praying without ceasing (the Lord tells us to) to know my calling. I have petitioned the Lord, asking Him to reveal His calling and purpose over my life. And because I also believe He can move through anyone, I’ve sought prayer from others on this same thing. This has been fervent, intentional, purposeful prayer on my behalf and I believe this was the single best thing I could do for myself to help me find purpose.
The second is reading His word
I read His word, the Bible. I’m looking to learn what He says about me. Who does He say I am? What does He have to say about why I’m here, and my purpose? When I learned the answers to these things, I made a decision to believe and accept them by faith. For example, if He says I’m His daughter, I believe and accept by faith that I am.
The third is reading “The Purpose Driven Life” by Rick Warren.
This was a monumental book (non-affliate) to help me understand some of the foundational truths of who I was made to be. I learned my place in things, how my upbringing, experiences and passions have helped to shape and mold me into the person I am today.
The fourth is reading “Unlocking the Heart of the Artist” by Matt Tommey
As an artist, this book (non-affiliate) has been instrumental to me understanding and walking in my calling. This was the final piece of the purpose puzzle, the bit that tied everything together. I received an incredible amount of revelation reading this book, things suddenly seemed to make perfect sense and I began to understand why I am like I am. There was no mistake, I was perfectly made. I was made for a divine reason and purpose and now I know that, I have vision and dreams for my future.
Purpose needs vision to function
When you finally begin to understand your calling, your purpose for being here, you can begin to visualize what things would be like if you were living it. Vision is the revealing of what something is going to be like to experience or achieve. Purpose needs vision to function. There’s a verse in Proverbs that says without vision people perish.
Without the vision of where you’re heading (according to your calling), you will wander aimlessly. Without knowing the possibilities of what you can experience or achieve, you will die a little bit inside as futility tends to set in. We’re made to dream, we’re made to hope and we’re made to imagine. We are the only one’s in all of creation that are capable of dreaming, hoping and imagining… so are you?
Are you able to visualize where you’re headed? Can you imagine living your life according to your calling? Purpose needs vision to function, if you can’t visualize things, seek the Lord in prayer and ask him to fill you with His vision for your future.
Vision is vital to our well-being
The Lord knows how vital vision is to our well-being; its why He says we’ll perish without it. It’s also why He’s made us with a divine purpose that over arches our lives. The two go together, like mac and cheese.
If you are someone who’s struggling to find your calling or purpose, I’d love to partner with you in prayer. Or maybe it’s vision you’re lacking. I’m ready to pray for you there too. Remember, I said prayer was the first thing that helped me. I will pray for you and with you, so leave me a comment or send me a private message. Let me know where you’re at and what it is you’re trying to work through.
Until next time, remember you have a hope, you have somewhere to anchor your soul.
Note: The one of a kind original piece of art featured in this post is actually available to purchase. If it resonates with you, contact me and I’ll let you know how it can be yours.
Read all articles in this series.
I’m Chrissie and I’m a North Queensland based Reflective Artist who uses art to bring Wisdom, Faith, and Hope to those who need it. I use watercolour and zentangling to create small pieces of art that capture the hope I feel the Lord has for us. With four words He created the world, so I believe words from Him are powerful. One word from Him can bring revelation to any situation. The unstructured nature of my art along with One Word is what I share and blog about.
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