What's your purpose?

 

What is your purpose in this life? What is it that makes you tick ~ gets you all hot and excited?! Yeah, that kind of hot and excited! Now, don't get me wrong .... I LIKE THAT too ~ because my husband is pretty amazing but let's go a bit deeper with our thoughts! I am talking about finding our purpose, because until you discover the things you are passionate about .... you will not even touch the surface of your purpose!

photo courtesy

It's really not as complicated as it sounds. Close your eyes. Well, wait! Read this paragraph first THEN close your eyes! Unless you have a hidden talent... okay, I'm getting off topic aren't I? Back to my point! One thing is for sure. No one can tell you what your purpose in this life is. No one can tell you the desires you have, unless of course you share them and actually live them out. I do know, because it has happened to me, that sometimes we can be so busy living in our purpose that it's hard to see. (Okay. Your going to have to keep reading before you close your eyes. So, keep reading, until you get the cue to close them again. It's going to take me a few more minutes to get to the point!)

This is my tenth year teaching preschool. I LOVE what I do, but more then that.... I have purpose and passion for teaching these young peeps. I get them. I understand them. In some ways, they understand me like no adult ever can. They bring out the childlike faith and belief deep within me that was buried during my childhood. They bring out a new level of trust that was broken in me when I was their age. They help me to see the world around us is beautiful and how much more important it is to embrace that then to feel like I have to KNOW what's going on in the world around me ~ that really doesn't effect me. Yeah I am one of those and I don't care! I don't have to have all the answers, yet I have wisdom. I don't have to hide my emotions, yet when I am around them I don't want to.

Yesterday I asked God to open my eyes, my mind, and my heart to this purpose He has for me. Is it to be quiet and meek? Uhm, no. That's not me! He gave me energy, vigor, and this HUGE childlike amount of JOY to share with others. To encourage them along the way in finding their passion! Am I all about just teaching the preschool peeps? No! I adore my family ~ and want to give them a safe, clean, and organized environment where they feel well... at home. I LOVE cooking for them! I love running, and all things that encourage a healthy lifestyle.

With all that in mind I can tell you my passion and purpose in this life .... is to inspire! I want to be able to look around me and see lives changed ~ because I was brave enough to share and care. I want to know that the time I spent was well worth it and not wasted. I am not a cookie cutter kind of gal ~ I cannot worship the way in which one would demand. I am a free thinker ~ one who likes to explore and feel, and to experience things. So many ministries out there are encouraging one another to be like them ~ or other wise it's not right. So many ministries out there are teaching you should do what feels good.

I can tell you something. Even if something feels good ~ you know when it's not really good. There is something programmed in us to tell us when it's wrong! You know it, I know it. Sometimes we have gone against it so much that we forget what it feels like and we need to make ourselves a bit more sensitive to that. My point is this. God made you to be well.. YOU. He did not make you to imitate Jane, to look like Jane, to be like Jane, or to even live like Jane. He made you for your unique purpose, and placed deep within you things that spark passion in your life!

So... now is the time to close your eyes and discover what YOUR purpose and passion are. Do you know? What gets you up in the morning? What keeps you going through the day? (Coffee is good, but that is not what I am talking about!) What is that thing that lights up your face when you talk about it? As I am nearing 40, I can tell you that the greatest gift I have received is knowing what these are to me. I also can tell you they can change in a moments notice as you discover new things about yourself.

Here is where I am most passionate:
1. Loving God with my life. I am not perfect, but I pray that He is pleased.
2. Loving my husband .... and liking him just the same.
3. Watching our children grow into these amazing people.
4. Running ~ this is new to me. I haven't ran in a week and I miss it desperately. Praying I am able to get a run in this afternoon after work, before football practice.
5. Cooking ~ I love cooking for my family. It's fun to try new recipes out, explore the different amazing ingredients out there and the various combinations that are possible.
6. Teaching Preschool ~ I explained a lot of it above.

What is my purpose?
To share my life as an open book EVEN IF to just inspire one person to give their life to God, bring the best of themselves out into this world that desperate needs passion and purpose rather then despair and hate. It is NEVER me... it is God within me that people see. I pray for that every day, that they may see HIM in me... and want the same in their lives. Not to live their life the way I live mine, but to embrace theirs as the gift it was intended to be. The gift .... to this world for this very moment in time. For a purpose. For a reason.

What's yours?