Purpose in Life

Having purpose in life is so important.  Without purpose, we may feel swallowed up by a sense of worthlessness, of uselessness, perhaps hopelessness.  I often work with students who already at their twelve and thirteen years of age feel like they have no purpose, and oddly enough I encounter adults even into their senior years who feel a lack of purpose and worth as well.

There is a scripture regarding purpose that resonates with the Christian community.  The average Christian knows it and has heard it.  It’s posted on plaques, daily flip calendars, bookmarks, you name it!  The scripture?  “’For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’” Jeremiah 29:11

Every word of Jeremiah 29:11 speaks to us having a purpose—God has plans for our lives, and they are good plans…not ones that are meant to destroy us or to leave us with a sense of hopelessness; in fact just the opposite…His plans are to give us hope and a future.

Why is it then that we struggle so much with feeling like we lack purpose?  Perhaps the answer lies in the next verses—Jeremiah 29:12,13:  “’Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.  You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.’”  Could it be that we are missing this part of the equation?  Have we sought the Lord with everything that is within us to know His purpose and His plans for our lives?

Or perhaps the answer lies here…when Jeremiah shared this Word from the Lord, God’s people were in exile.  They had turned their backs on Him and were in the midst of experiencing consequences for their choices.  Is it possible that we have not sought the Lord like we should because we are stuck in discouragement, experiencing the consequences of our choices?  Or could it even just be a spiritual lethargy has overtaken us?

Today, let’s seek the Lord with our whole heart.  Let’s ask Him to reveal His purpose for us—our daily purpose, eternal purpose, etc.  If lethargy or discouragement or anything else is standing in the way, let’s allow the Lord to remove these.  As we embark on 2021, let’s go forward, moving purposefully into God’s plan for this year and for our lives.