How to Find Your Purpose
Have you tried prayer?
In this newsletter:
A few more thoughts on purpose,
A new series on LinkedIn, and
Some podcast episodes for your summer playlist.
What Is Your Purpose?
Sometimes I hate that question. I think it’s because trying to find my purpose feels like trying to catch the wind. I know my purpose is out there because I sense it and can sometimes see evidence of it, but I can’t seem to grab hold of it.
I agree with the Shorter Catechism when it says, “The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy him forever.” I believe that to be true, and I think that seeking to love God and love neighbor is our true north star. But sometimes that doesn’t feel specific enough to the unique gifts, traits, training, and experiences God has given me. Sometimes I want a bit more direction to help me choose wisely among many good options.
Prayer Can Help You Find Your Purpose
In his book The Purpose Path: A Guide to Pursuing Your Authentic Life’s Work, Dr. Nicholas Pearce reminds us that, just as we might ask a vehicle manufacturer What is this lever for?, we can ask God why he made us. We can pray about our purpose.
I knew that. But I didn’t know that.
I knew that we could talk to God about anything, but, for some reason, it hadn’t occurred to me that I could ask God, What is the purpose for which you made me?
How Prayer Helped Me Find My Purpose
I lose my sense of purpose about as often as I lose my cell phone. Unfortunately, you can’t put an AirTag on your purpose and use the “Find My” app to locate it. But God can help you find it. He helped me.
Recently, I hit a rough patch professionally when some consulting contracts didn’t pan out like I had hoped, a couple of new offerings flopped, and I thought my book sales were terrible. All of that discouragement sent me into a bit of a spiral. What was I doing? What was my purpose? Had I made a mistake? Plus, my brain decided to add some impostor syndrome to the mix. How can you write about purpose and calling when you have no idea what yours is?
I thought Pearce had a great point about asking God why he made us. So I prayed. It wasn’t a mountaintop or fireside moment. I think I was walking downstairs to get something out of the fridge. It wasn’t eloquent. It was quite ordinary.
I also committed myself to everyday faithfulness. It’s a practice of showing up to the work that’s right in front of you and seeking to love God and love your neighbor through it. That week, everyday faithfulness looked like analyzing survey data, coding qualitative interview transcripts, creating posts for social media, monitoring my income and expenses, taking a few Zoom calls, and reminding my kids that summer boredom is a choice.
When I prayed, God didn’t answer immediately. But over the next few days, I had a series of spark moments. Like flint hitting steel. The tiny light was enough to show me momentary glimpses of my purpose. Keep going in this direction.
And here’s the thing: All the spark moments happened as a result of showing up faithfully to my daily work. God met me during a Zoom call with a friend, a Zoom call with a stranger, and while reading an encouraging message on LinkedIn from a guy I knew in seminary. What grace!
God’s Answers to Purpose Prayers
Have you ever asked God to show you why he made you? I’d encourage you to ask God this week. Ephesians 2:10 tells us, “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” What kind of good works did you have in mind for this week, God?
I’d also counsel you to be wise with your expectations. God may not respond to you in the same way or on the same timetable as he responded to me. We’re different people on different journeys, and God is marvelous and mysterious in the ways he works. Plus, Pearce cautions that we may not get a clear answer when we pray about our purpose:
You won’t get all the details of why you were made and how you will express your life’s work upfront on day one. A prayer to gain greater clarity or understanding about your purpose is not going to give you a detailed forecast of the next seventy-five years. In my experience, God will give you enough to be faithful right now, because in some cases, if we saw the entire script, we would run away and abort God’s plan. So you receive enough of an assignment in front of you to be faithful today.
“Enough of an assignment in front of you to be faithful today.” That’s all we need. Small, daily steps in the right direction keep us in line with our purpose, even if we’re not 100% sure what that is.
On LinkedIn: Letters to My Younger Self
Last week, I started a new series on LinkedIn called “Letters to My Younger Self: Tips for Minimizing Work Hurt.” It’s related to a chapter in When Work Hurts that invites us to reflect on the role we may have played in our work hurt. Be sure to follow me on LinkedIn to get the next installment.
Podcast Episodes for Your Playlist
I’ve had the opportunity to have some fantastic conversations about work hurt over the past few months. Here are a few episodes that might interest you.
The Flourishing Culture Leadership Podcast
If you follow the work of Best Christian Workplaces, you may want to tune into this conversation with Al Lopus.
That Makes Total Sense!
Alexis Busetti and I talked about the world of work and the current economy in this conversation.
Pastor Serve’s FrontStage BackStage
If you or someone you love works in church or parachurch ministry, this episode is all about when ministry work hurts.
Thanks for reading this installment of When Work Hurts. If you found it helpful, consider sharing it with a friend.