Pursuing Purpose

Is anyone else searching for that part of them that they feel has been missing their whole life?

Purpose. One single word that can change everything. For me that one single word has so much weight behind it. What does purpose mean? What is my purpose? Am I living in my purpose? Does my purpose change? Can I lose my purpose? How do I get my purpose? Do I find my purpose, or does it find me? What if I never find my purpose? Do other people have the same purpose as me? Can other people steal my purpose? What really is purpose?

I don’t know if it’s just me, but I have been on a journey of finding my purpose what feels like my whole life. I have realized that over the years it has looked different and sometimes what I thought it was, was not true at all. While other times I had no idea, I was even living in it until someone else would bring it to my attention. All I know is that since I was little, I was always wondering who am I? Who is Kaley? What do I like? What don’t I like? What am I good at? What am I not good at? You know all those questions that I thought would help me know who I am better and help me find my purpose. Its not until I got older that I realized I might be looking at it all wrong. I was trying to make it happen. I was trying to find my purpose out of my own will or my own strength and I didn’t even really know where to look or what to do.

You know you watch those awesome movies where they depict the characters of being lost and confused of who they are and where they are meant to be and what they are meant to do? One example I can think of is what Disney loves to make into their movies is kids who have no parents or who do not know who their parents are. So, they usually go on some mission to go find out who they are by finding their parents or their family. The whole time they think they will only know who they are once they find that part of them that has been missing. An example I like is Rey from Star Wars. She had no idea who her parents were or what happened to them, but she spent the whole rest of her life dedicated to figuring it out. She wouldn’t stop until she found them or figured out what happened to them. She thought her purpose was in finding the truth. She thought her purpose was a place that she could reach. When really her purpose was what she discovered along the way, that she was a jedi and she was the only hope of saving all her people. Her purpose no longer was in figuring out what happened to her parents, but it evolved into her discovering who she was along the way. Then she began walking in who she was to carry out her purpose that was already inside of her.

The idea is that all of us feel like a part of us is missing even from a small age. We feel like we need to find this something or be this someone and then it will all click into place and make sense. We believe that our purpose is a tangible object that can be found and obtained and once found we will be complete. What if I told you that our purpose is not a place? It is not a destination. It is not something that you can drive to or work up to or even buy your way into. It is not a place, because it is actually a part of your whole journey. Think of it this way, a building is built into the ground and is considered permanent. It will be in that same spot forever or until somethings tears it down. It remains the same until the end of its time. Whereas your purpose doesn’t stay the same forever and ever. It is not a permanent structure. Your purpose is ever evolving just like we are. Purpose is not something that is in tangible form that you can reach out and hold, but rather it is something deep inside of you that needs to be unburied and pulled out and let free. You don’t have to strive to be something that you are not in hopes of finding who you are, because you are already you. You are the most you, you’ll ever find. You’re not going to find you in someone else because they are the most “them” they can be. You are the only one who can find your purpose because you are the only one who can go inside of yourself.

Well, I should say you and God. Since God created us and He knows everything about us, inside and out He also knows where your purpose lies. He can help you go deep within yourself and find those pieces of you that He created for your purpose. The point of this life that we get to live is about the journey so why wouldn’t that be the same idea for our purpose. Our purpose was created into us when God created us in our mother’s womb. He knew exactly what He wanted you to do and He gave you all the giftings and talents and tools within you before you were even born to accomplish what He has for you. So you don’t have to strive to find this thing called purpose because it has been with you the whole time. Buried deep inside of you. Created with you. It never left you. No, you can’t lose your purpose because it was a part of you before you were even born so how could it leave you now? It is built into who you are and what you are meant to do. No, no one else can steal it because it is yours. God created it specifically for you and it will only work with you. Yes, your purpose can change and evolve just like you can. God created you all to grow and mature and evolve into the people we are today and eventually the people we will be in the future. So of course, if our purpose was created with us just like everything else in us, it will grow with us and go with us as well. Yes, everyone has a purpose. Some people don’t walk in the fullness of their purpose and sometimes purposes lay dormant in them, but everyone is created with purpose living inside of them. Just like all of us are created with a heart that beats or lungs that breathe or joints that bend, we also were created with purpose within us. Why, might you ask? Because we are all created in God’s image and He has great purpose. So, we do as well. Our purpose lies in the trueness of who we are which is to live like Christ. So, although we may not know what our individual purpose is as of right now, we do know how Jesus lived and how we can live like him. The joy comes from the journey of living with Jesus and as you enjoy the journey you discover who you are and as you discover who you are then you find your purpose and as you find your purpose than you lead others to finding theirs as well. Life isn’t about the destination it is about the journey, and our purpose isn’t a destination but discovered along the way. So maybe you can tell me do you find purpose or does your purpose find you? I pray you all discover God’s truth in who He created you to be and somewhere along the way you look up and discover you’ve found your purpose as well and are walking in the fullness of who you are! You are all so loved and cherished and deeply appreciated.

With love,

Kaley