Creating Purpose Creates a Meaningful Life
“For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.”
When working with youth, I encourage them to focus on defining their purpose and God-given calling throughout their high school years. The more they work on defining their dreams and how to achieve them, the more confident they will be in making decisions that will shape the rest of their lives. It doesn’t mean they cannot transition or start over, but doing so with faithful reflection will empower them, rather than leaving them feeling a lack of control. Plus, in college, for example, changing direction often requires more time and debt.
Determining our future course isn’t just for high schoolers. Throughout our lives, transitions and sudden changes are inevitable. The more we plan, reflect, and draw on divine acceptance, the better able we will be in riding life’s ripples and the occasional tidal wave. A person questioning their direction in retirement is as vulnerable to second-guessing, poor decisions, and financial burdens influenced by procrastination as a teenager. David Robson, in his BBC Science Focus Magazine article “The Power of Purpose,” states that individuals with a clear life purpose tend to live longer, more fulfilling lives than those who do not.
The BBC Scientific Focus article affirms that, “The power of purpose may help to explain why people of faith tend to have greater life satisfaction and live longer than agnostics and atheists.” Purpose comes in many forms. At its most meaningful, religion guides our professional, familial, and ideological purposes. For people of faith, our purpose is defined as our divine calling.
Start crafting your divine purpose like a sculptor placing clay lump upon lump, until the image becomes clear. Start by inviting the Holy Spirit to create with you, the purposeful work that is you. Start defining your purpose with a small “p.” Begin answering simple questions that help define you, and put them together until complexity takes shape. Questions like, “What do I enjoy?” “What am I good at?” “What do I value?” “What are my moral and ethical values?” You build upon each question, as the sculpture of you takes shape. Your process builds not just a productive life, but a beautiful soul that a loving God blesses.
