Over the last year or so I have been journeying to figure out who I am. What are my talents, passions, desires etc? Is that what defines me? If I am not giving all me time to those things am I neglecting "my purpose/calling"?
I don't think that this is something confined to women who have become mothers. I often find mothers looking for an identity outside of motherhood, but I also find people looking for their identity outside of whatever they are doing with a majority of their time. Wether juggling a job, school, singleness, a marriage, one kid, multiple kids, or whatever. One finds themselves wondering "Is this what I am suppose to be doing with my life? Is there something else? Is there something more?".
I have read books, gone to conferences, listened to podcasts, prayed and asked God about this. What is my purpose? Who am I? (as silly and movie script as that sounds) I could give you all the reasons I thought I didn't know, but I think in reality MOST people don't know the answer to that question.
All this to say I have a few thoughts so far, but still realize I am still on the journey. And I should say that even though I have these thoughts they are easily forgotten in the midst of life and I have to slow down and come back to these SIMPLE truths. The 2 thoughts I've come to are...
1. Ultimately my purpose (our purpose) is to know God’s love, love God and love others in ALL we do, wether “big” or “small”.
2. The talents, joys and dreams (etc.) we have are part of the journey, but not THE journey.
One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him,
“Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”
“The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this:
‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’
There is no commandment greater than these.”
Mark 12:28-31
"If we have been created in the image of God, then we have been created to love, because God is love."
Mother Teresa "No Greater Love
I don't suppose our joys and desires in life are for some "ultimate" accomplishment, moment or goal. If they are, then once we accomplish that goal have we fulfilled our purpose in life? It seems to me that when people accomplish their dreams or goals they still want to do, experience and/or learn more. So the accomplishments, talents, dreams aren't what we are "ultimately" meant for. What of the people that are limited by resources, health and freedom. Are they void of the chance to find their purpose? Are purpose and meaning lost in their life? I do not believe that. In contrast to accomplishments, ultimate moment and goal reaching giving our existence meaning I think our existence is about each day, hour and moment we are in.
In addition, if we are made to know God's love, give love and be loved then love can be found and put in each thing we do, each moment we are in. If we just live for the accomplishments and dreams then we easily miss out on the moments. Each day is a gift given to us and we so easily race through them with stress, worry and busyness. Our culture is not good at slowing down and enjoying the moment. We can live in God's amazing love for us each day, we can love Him in each thing we do and we can love the person next to us.
There are people I have talked to in ALL walks of life, student, single, married, with kids, without kids, in their "dream vocation", experiencing life in ALL different ways and they ALL have something else they want. They ALL struggle with contentment. They ALL have things they still want to want to try. I am not saying having dreams, passions and goals or pursuing them is a bad thing. But as we take steps toward those goals we HAVE to remember that the things going on outside those steps are just a meaningful, important and glorious because He is in each moment, even in the littlest of things. Each day is to be experienced for what it is. Our talents, joys dreams and desires are to be enjoyed in each moment, to bring richness to the daily. But when we define our purpose and existence by our talents, goals, dreams (etc) then the present moment is lost. Walking down the street, doing laundry, being kind to a neighbor, eating lunch, going to bed, tripping in life, making a mess of things ANYTHING is an opportunity to slow down and find God in it be loved by Him, learn and give love.
Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love
1 John 4:8
We love because he first loved us.
1 John 4:19
It is not how much we do, but how much love we put in the doing. It is not how much we give, but how much love is put in the giving
Mother Teresa
A new command I give you:
Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.
John 13:34,35
Let all that you do be done in love.
1 Corinthians 16:12
