Question #3:
“How did you find your purpose in life?”
Dear C,
I used to think that everyone had a singular purpose in life, one thing that they were uniquely gifted at, or passionate about, or supposed to do. I kept waiting to discover what my thing was, that one spark that would light me up for the rest of my life. And while some people do have that one thing that they do forever, I am not one of those people... at least, not yet.
Instead of constantly asking myself, “what is my purpose in life?”, I have been exploring, what is my purpose in this season of life? What are the gifts that are coming to the forefront at this time? Where are my hands, my voice, and my heart most needed? Letting go of that expectation of a singular purpose has allowed me to see all the ways that I am divinely gifted, and to respond to the needs of those around me.
There have been common threads though. Most of my purposeful pursuits have involved teaching (my spiritual gift), and all of them have involved community (something I value highly). I think those are two things to consider when trying to define your purpose: what are your God-given gifts and talents, and what are your deeply-rooted values? If you stay close to those, you will likely discover that your purpose has been right beside you all along!
