Finding Your Purpose

I was about 10 when my father picked us up from school one day and asked me and my sister if we knew what our purpose was. Given that I was 10 and my greatest challenges at that moment were probably oscillating between which twin at church did I have a crush on now and what I was going to do about Mrs. Hooper's long-division tests, I seriously doubt I gave my father a sensible answer. And since at the time Joy was 7 and repeating verbatim everything her best friend said as if it were Bible, I again doubt that she gave a suitable answer either.

My father likes to do these things that he calls thought experiments, where he runs a scenario by you about something or someone and sees how you respond. Most families watch football during Thanksgiving; we do thought experiments. And I promise I believe he was running one on us that day. I don't know what answer he expected to get, but in my mind I was thinking what does that even mean…purpose?

Well his thought experiment must've worked, because over the last 20+ years I've never forgotten that question. Any time I have to make a big decision, I think back to it. I was about 16 when I finally realized what my purpose in life was. In fact, it's still posted up on the wall of my childhood bedroom. I realized that everyone has the same purpose in life, to bring glory to God. However, it's how we spend our lives doing this that makes us unique.

For me, it's using my gift of storytelling to empower others to find their voice. Sounds big right, maybe a bit vague? Well that's because the purpose of my life is the foundation. Everything I do or put out into the world has to be able to stand upon that foundation, so it has to be big. As for vague, I'd say it's open to possibility. And that's really the heart of finding your purpose in life and then moving forward each day in that purpose. Don't be afraid to step into a big purpose; allow yourself to dream of all the possible ways you can carry out that purpose for a lifetime!