There’s nothing like purpose to strike a little dread in the heart—whether you’ve found yours or not.
Those who haven’t found their purpose struggle with finding theirs, with whether God has told them already and they missed it, or if they even have a purpose.
And those who have found their purpose struggle with fears of being able to fulfill it, wanting to hide from the magnitude of it, losing sight, or feeling like theirs just isn’t good enough.
Identifying Your Purpose
I think purpose is where spiritual gifts meet talent.
Take my pastor for example. Obviously, his spiritual gifts would be leadership, ministering, and exhortation as a pastor, but his talent (among others) is an outgoing personality that attracts people like kids to a candy bowl. Put them together and you get a deadly combination—or a heavenly one I should say.
Now it can take a little while to put these together because God doesn’t usually give us the big picture at first, but here are some steps to get started.
#1 – What are your spiritual gifts?
First, let’s establish the difference between a spiritual gift and a talent.
Talents are those natural aptitudes we’re born with—like athleticism, writing, singing, and memorization.
And we receive spiritual gifts when we accept Jesus as our Savior that help us to be the body of Christ—like exhortation, teaching, and service. More like a role that God develops in us as we grow in Him.
Knowing your spiritual strengths and weaknesses is a big step in finding your purpose and being even more effective for Christ.
And did you know there are tests to help you figure that out? Pretty cool, huh? Here’s a free test you can take at SpiritualGiftsTest.com (no affiliate link).
#2 – What are your talents?
I’m guessing you already have a pretty good idea of what you’re good at (and enjoy as a result), but jot those things down or put a little thought into those with a mindset of how you might use them for God’s glory.
#3 – Talk to God.
Very important step. Talk to Him. Ask Him what He wants you to do. Pay attention to what jumps out at you as you do the above steps.
#4 – Revisit.
Keep your results (from steps 1 & 2) in mind as you do life and keep talking to God. God will bring something to your attention when the time is right.
Did you know that you and I have common purposes?
Whether you’re a missionary, or a writer like me, or you don’t have a clue what your purpose is, we share something in common—maybe I should say two somethings:
Whether you're a missionary, or a writer like me, or don't have a clue what your purpose is, we share something in common … Share on X#1 – Love God.
As humans with innate sin natures, it’s easy to overlook the most basic principles sometimes. We think God wants us to do something. He must, right? We’re called to live out our walk, so surely we need to be doing in order to please Him.
True—in the sense that we’re called to go out. But first, and even more important, comes a relationship with God, which is the center of the gospel.
God created man because He wanted relationship with us, and then Jesus left heaven and died to restore our relationship with Him. Wow. That’s huge. And simple.
If you’re reading this and thinking I’ve lost my mind, remember the answer Jesus gave to the question, “What’s the greatest commandment?”
#2 – Love your neighbor.
If relationship is most important to God, it makes sense he’d be concerned with our relationship with each other. He cares for each of us and wants us to reflect that same love to others.
Period.
I don’t know about you, but I find it comforting that we have purposes in common. Whether you’re a preacher, a missionary, a mom, or you don’t know what your mission is yet. We’re called to love God with all we have within us so that we can’t help but love everyone around us.
And if you’re doing that, then you are working in your purpose.
Now I’d love to hear from you! Have you found your purpose yet? And whether you have or haven’t, how has working within these core purposes helped you?
more Resources
- On the Mission Field from HISsparrowBlog
- Spiritual Gifts Test from spiritualgiftstest.com
- List of Spiritual Gifts: Discovering Your Gifts from BibleSEO
I frequently link up with the following: Grace & Truth with Embracing the Unexpected, Tell His Story with Jeanne Takenaka, and Let’s Have Coffee with Joanne Viola.
You are so right
yes – all purpose comes down to those two things. Bob Goff challenged me lately: Are you doing what you are capable of or doing what you are meant to do? The former is experience and age. The latter is God’s call at any age. Love it! Still narrowing it down further as I age bec i only have so many years left of cognitive capability!
That’s an excellent question, Sue!
I love the fact that God created each of us with intentional gifts to honor and serve Him. When I quit telling people what God had called me to do and listened to God and started doing it my whole life changed. People don’t always understand your calling or gifts because it isn’t theirs to share. However, the greatest gift is to love and share love because that is what changes the heart and impacts the world around us.
So true, Sheila! Love really is the ‘greatest of these.’
Yes, the number one purpose of our lives is to love God and put Him first in everything we do. I think our second purpose is to fulfill God’s will for our lives, and yes that involves loving our neighbor. Great post, thanks for sharing!
Thanks for stopping in, Carolina!
I love that you added to revisit, and that we all have 2 common purposes as children of God. Purpose can feel like a big scary task at times, yet it usually boils down to just a few yeses, often to things we don’t exactly know how to do. Great post! Many Thanks 8)
Great point, Debra Jean! Many times God gives instructions one step at a time. Thank you so much for commenting!
Seeking God to discover your purpose is so important. Our true calling and purpose will allow us to also fulfill our shared purposes of loving God and people.
Exactly right, Ayanna!
Yeah, we are here for a definite purpose.Its our duty and responsibility to find our purpose and work according to His will upon us.
So true, Athira!
It’s easy to get caught up in the details of purpose, looking for specifics. It’s natural. I’m glad you brought it back to the basics of loving Jesus and loving others. Because sometimes doing those two things doesn’t really have anything to do with talent at all. It’s about putting one foot in front of the other and just doing the next right thing whether I feel like I’m good at it or not.
Yep, willingness to do the ‘small’ goes a long way. Thanks for commenting, Jana!
This was so practical – and helpful. Thanks! I agree that we all have common purposes (loving God…loving our neighbor) and, when unsure of our individual purpose, we can always start with these and God will direct us. Great post!
Thanks, Jennifer!
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