Knowing Your Current Purpose

“Get up now, and stand upright on your feet. I have appeared to you for a reason. I am appointing you to serve Me. You are to tell My story and how you have now seen Me, and you are to continue to tell the story in the future.” (Acts 26:16 VOICE)

Sometimes I walk into the kitchen to do something and forget what it was that I meant to do. I look around for cues to nudge my memory. If there are dishes in the sink, I wash them. If the counters look messy, I wipe them down. All of these tasks are useful, but not the purpose for which I entered. I may have originally intended to add an essential item to my grocery list, but then got distracted by other things. There are times when washing dishes is the task that I need to do. There are times when wiping the counter is my intended purpose. And there are times when I have to update the grocery list before I forget that we are out of milk. 

Our purpose can shift as we move through different phases of life. Each of us have entered this world with unique assignments for every stage of growth. There are times when we forget our current missions and go back to doing what is familiar. Some of us just mimic what others around us are doing or what gets the most approval. While they may be useful, these tasks are not what we are meant to be doing right this minute. Distractions  that pull us away from our current purpose can leave significant voids. 

My sense of purpose has shifted over the last few decades. I have played many different roles; some of them felt right at the time. These days, I feel the call to draw near to God and magnify Him--to tell His story, share insights, and serve Him.  I enter into each day with this purpose in mind, but I often get distracted. I revert to previous patterns of behavior that used to make me feel useful and competent.  While these roles were meaningful at one time, they are not what I am meant to do right this minute. Anything that pulls me away from my current purpose leaves significant voids in God’s mission for my life.