The Place of Purpose

It may not be helpful to be purposed-driven, but is there something to be said for living in him with a sense of how he has uniquely created us to fit in his purpose in the world? Brad and Wayne discuss identity and purpose and how it has both helped and hindered them in various stages of their own spiritual journeys. Knowing his purpose in you can help you separate your own agenda for comfort or significance and free you to be part of Gods' unfolding work in the world. How do we find that sweet spot where God's purpose and your personality find a fit that allows us to live fruitful and fulfilled lives in the world? And, how can we help others around us discover theirs as well?

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13 Comments

  1. Wow, thank you ! This is fresh living water to a broken heart right now. God Bless you both. So glad I stumbled upon your podcast this morning.

  2. I find myself doing something for work right now that is not very enjoyable for me. I’ve come up with numerous other things I thought I’d rather be doing but none of them lasted very long and no doors were ever opened. Through many trials I’ve realized that I truly don’t know what I want to do and I’ve also realized just how much I base my self worth in the title of my occupation and my role as “The Provider” for my family. So many things I thought I wanted to do wasn’t really anything I wanted to do, it had more to do with my identity. If God had granted me any of the prayers I prayed to get another job over the last 24 months then I never would be realizing this.

    Still struggling though, I was thinking about this recently and I really felt like God just calling me to trust Him more, that He knows me far better than I even know myself and can get me to where I’ll ultimately be happiest far better than I could do on my own.

    I have some experience in dog training and this is one thing that I can compare to that. Dogs are pack animals by nature and a dog that does not feel safe and secure under a leader will try to assume the role of the pack leader himself. Many behavioral issues in dogs can be traced back to them not receiving a fair and confident Alpha role from their owner. Once an owner becomes aware of this and begins fulfilling the role of the Alpha, their dog will first rebel thinking their freedom is being threatened, but if the owner is consistent and fair they’ll win the respect of the dog and the dog will eventually submit willingly. The behavioral issues will disappear as he begins to feel safe and secure and this creates a much happier and less stressed dog. Created for a pack, independence can be a tormenting feeling but in submission the dog finds real freedom and peace, as this is how he was created to live. But until the dog actually experiences this he doesn’t realize this is what he was looking for the whole time. So unknowingly at first he fights the very thing his heart has been longing for.

    I see myself doing this very same thing. My thinking that I need to be in control to take care of my own life and the life of my family has been killing me. It’s put a huge burden on my shoulders that I cannot bear. Now that God’s working with me on this, the process of not getting what I want can often feel terrible, but in beginning to surrender control of my life to Him, I’m learning that this is actually what I’ve been looking for the whole time. My fighting Him is often caused by my blindness as I haven’t been able to see that His will is directly tied to my joy and my best interest, as well as that of my family.

    Wow. Great podcast this week and last week. It’s really helped bring clarification to things that have been going on in my heart. Thank you!

  3. @Erkki-Thanks for the eloquent words expressing what I’m sure so many of us are processing. It seems that it comes round time and time again to trust. When we trust, so much of that angst and “driven” behaviour can be laid down. The analogy of the dog and how this dog learns to rest and process through “training” seems to fit very well. I also appreciated how Wayne and Brad talked about the focus shifting from “what is our purpose” to “What is God’s purpose in this” and that shift is significant b/c the energy spent to “do our purpose” is displaced with growing confidence in “This is what God seems to be calling me to do in this situation and since it’s His purpose…He will provide the resources necessary to complete it.” It’s a way of thinking about this that has a whole lot less pressure.

  4. @Erkki-Thanks for the eloquent words expressing what I’m sure so many of us are processing. It seems that it comes round time and time again to trust. When we trust, so much of that angst and “driven” behaviour can be laid down. The analogy of the dog and how this dog learns to rest and process through “training” seems to fit very well. I also appreciated how Wayne and Brad talked about the focus shifting from “what is our purpose” to “What is God’s purpose in this” and that shift is significant b/c the energy spent to “do our purpose” is displaced with growing confidence in “This is what God seems to be calling me to do in this situation and since it’s His purpose…He will provide the resources necessary to complete it.” It’s a way of thinking about this that has a whole lot less pressure. The shift in thinking takes time to process but it is worth it!

  5. oops…sorry about the “double message”. Seems an error happened in my clicking twice.

  6. Thanks, Sue. I got half way through the second comment before I realized it was the same as the first 😉

    “The shift in thinking takes time to process but it is worth it!”

    I wholeheartedly agree!

  7. It struck me while listening today that persuing happiness can be like chasing a rainbow. The more I focus on making sure I am happy, the less likely I am to actually be happy.

    Thank for the encouragement to mothers!! Boy do we need that. God has really put on my heart that my main purpose right now is raising my boys, and i keep letting that get out of focus. And when we think of “large” scope and scale vs “small” – I think we need to weigh not just the number of people we affect, but also the depth to which they are affected. My children are going to have my voice playing in their head for the rest of their lives. That’s deep.

  8. Rather than purpose, driven or otherwise, love…

    Rather than searching for a profound soundness and purposefulness in “doing or being something,” Jesus has called us to rest inside of His first love. In the life He provides, as secured beings, the soul springs forth in an ongoing and growing expression of this love. Each is identified within Christ, yet separate and whole. Learning His heart towards each of us is the journey. Too often we focus: on the future; on the past; the illusion of control; our perceived lack, failures, etc. The greater thief behind these is the drive of the flesh; it works selfishly to earn, validate, measure up and secure it’s perceived position or goal. The drive to “be” is ultimately fulfilled within Christ, with whom we each have our being. Sadly, our individual perceptions (religious carnal interpretations) of how this is developed are formed before the realization of His first love, even one’s own regeneration. To excavate beyond these perceptions is labor intensive, and unique to each. The rest we find, in Him, has been there the entire time. Your uniqueness blends upon the vast canvas, Christ’s body. Love’s revealing brings hope and encouragement to others along the path.

    God’s love alone defines us.

    @Terri Wow! Well said friend…

  9. Hi Mitchell – There is a reality in what you’re saying that can’t be grasped by simply reading it, I think the truth of it is profound. Thank you very much.

  10. A voice that has been speaking for about 15 years about “finding your purpose” is a friend, John Stanko. There are a TON of resources on his site, you can subscribe to a weekly newsletter for reminders about finding your life purpose, and there is a free assessment tool. His message is about finding YOUR purpose through assessing what God has put into YOU, then going on that regal “search for treasure” that is the privilege of kings. When we know our life purpose, every day has meaning, even if we are not producing “extraordinary” results.
    John’s main website is here: http://www.purposequest.com/

    My very favorite edition of his Monday Memo (and there are over 500 now!) is an early one that lists 52 “calling cards” to help identify what might be considered a “life purpose”.
    http://www.purposequest.com/assets/pdfs/mm/memos81-85.pdf

    John’s writing and materials have been wondefully helpful to me since the early nineties. If you ever get to hear him speak, he is a very funny guy. I was able to articulate my life purpose as “expressing God’s care by connecting people with resources”. There! I just did it for you! Enjoy this resource!

  11. Thanks guys really helpful podcast.
    I’ve been performance driven to make God happy.
    I’ve been purpose driven by people’s agendas to make everything bigger and better.
    I’ve been personally driven to make sense of my live.
    Yet I never found rest until I knew that He loves me.
    I’m still learning that I’m valued by Him and I don’t have to do anything for it… it takes so long to debunk the old stuff. I want to be content in any and every situation and find my satisfaction in Him alone.
    CS Lewis wrote: “We are half-hearted creatures, fooling around with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”
    Keep up the good work!

  12. You (Brad & Wayne) have said in the past, something to the effect of “Let go of your investment in outcomes.” This idea has been very helpful and it’s been reiterated and confirmed by other believers and the Bible. I think this idea also helps define the role of purpose in our lives. If I, for example, let go of my investment in the ultimate outcome of my life, than my purpose becomes…to live!

    BAM! 🙂

  13. In Dec. of ’07, my granddaughter was born with Trisomi 13, an incurable desease. She passed on 3 months later. At the hospital, a couple of days after her birth, in great inner turmoil, God…our Heavenly Daddy, spoke this to my heart…”IN THE MIDST ON THE UNKNOWN, THERE REMAINS A CONSTANT KNOWN…I LOVE YOU. AND KNOWING THE KNOWN, IN THE MIDST OF THE UNKNOWN, YOU CAN GO ON”.

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