Finding My Purpose

 

At a young age I already knew I would one day run my own business, I just wasn’t too sure what kind of business it would be.  So many choices, how does one pick a path?  So my choice for a bachelor’s degree?  Business administration, naturally!  It was only after one, yes ONE semester that I transferred schools…and I didn’t quit there.  I finally settled in at college number three, and it wasn’t for business admin. Retail merchandising and managementà I know, you don’t even know what that really means.  Nevermind what I went to school for, because employers didn’t seem interested either.  My dreams of crashing the world with my creative visual genius died quickly when I couldn’t even nail a retail management position.  It was my family’s desperate plea to find something, anything when I bit the bullet that my dream career may not pan out the way I thought it would.

 

Sound familiar?  Those big dreams you had that seemed to fall flat?  Christianity can feel the same way at times… we learn that we have a mission and were created for a purpose… but struggle to find it.  Maybe you’re like I once was and secretly wish someone would just approach you with some divine word with exact instructions for fulfilling you’re God-given purpose.  Have no fear, there are answers to this very big question mark!

 

Yes, you were created for a purpose!

 

Ephesians 2:10

For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

 

Well, I guess you can head on your way, because that pretty much sums up all we need to know!  But for good measure, we can go deeper!  You and I were created to do good works, and God prepared them in advance for us!  How cool is that? 

 

Ephesians 4:11-13

It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

 

God has done a lot of work to provide people that will help prepare you… be sure you’re leaning in to these people!  They will help launch you into that whole purpose thing.  These verses in Ephesians 4 really help us dissect what our steps are:

 

SERVICEà builds up the body à unity à maturity à WHOLE MEASURE à FULLNESS of CHRIST

 

Can you imagine becoming the whole measure of the one who created you?  Filled to the brim with Christ!  Now that sounds purposeful!  So where then, do we take our first step?  Service, my friend, and more specifically in ways that build up the body of Christ.  We’re not just talking about random acts of kindness here (though they’re nice)… we’re talking about service.   

 

serv·ice

ˈsərvəs/

noun

1. the action of helping or doing work for someone.

 

Service is work!  It’s not some feel good act you get to do leisurely!  It’s gonna cost you something: time, money, blood, sweat, tears, or all of the above [insert frown here]!  Don’t wait for someone to ask, or when something that suits your liking comes along!  It’s not so much about which step you take (provided it builds others up and points them to Jesus), it’s about taking a step.  Get out of your comfort zone and extend a warm welcome, love on the kids in Sunday School, vacuum floors, something!  There is something beautiful that will begin to happen in the midst of your service. 

 

When I first began in my new “out of college” job I was frustrated that I had to start at the bottom (I mean, c’mon, who goes to college to start at the bottom??).  In that job I learned a few new things about the weight of paper and copy machines, but more importantly about myself (and how much I hated cold calling businesses).  At my next job, I still was working an entry level position.  This time I learned even more about what I was and wasn’t good at.  Slowly I started finding my way into roles that suited my developing skills a little bit better than the last job… and they became a little more fun, and a little more profitable!   

 

You’ve probably heard the phrase “life is a journey, not a destination”- same is true for finding our purpose!  It just starts with taking that first step.  In serving others we better serve Christ.  What I found as I began a small Bible study for moms, it began to change my heart. It is a soft heart that God can mold and fashion into the creation HE always intended me to be according to HIS purpose.

 

Father, thank you for your Word and all that we can glean from it!  Thank you for preparing work that you fashioned just for me!  I pray that you would help me to be a good servant and that you would use my service to build up the body.  Help me to be unified with the body of Christ in faith and knowledge of your Son, that I may mature and become the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.  In Jesus’ name, amen.

 

XO,

Jackie E

As You Get Dressed Today

Once upon a time I was that girl:  the super fashionable, trendy, spend 10 hours walking in heels kind of girl.  Outfits that were layered just so, folded and tucked meticulously, and accessorized with the cutest jewelry… all done like it was my business. Because it was.  The longer I was working for the fashion retailer the more perfected my wardrobe became.  I loved helping women pull off a great new look, often selling the most of whatever I was wearing that day because honestly, people need help visualizing a “look”.  Nowadays I go to my closet and stare at my clothes for a very long time.  It’s not because I have too much to choose from (though I certainly could use a good closet cleanse), but because it’s an odd blend of what once was fashionable and the clothes I now tend to wear.  You know the kind:  the “I won’t cry if you get a little snot, puke, hole, tear, or spaghetti on it” kind.  There’s no doubt that I have adjusted my wardrobe to suit my lifestyle as a mom with little ones.  There are different clothes for different seasons, but there are clothes suitable as a Christian that we should always wear.

Colossians 3:12 (NIV)

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.  Bear with each other forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another.  Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

Getting dressed (or not) is a daily decision!  Did you choose to dress yourself in compassion today?  How about patience?  Perhaps patience was that scarf you decided to scrap the moment you got in the car with the kids. Most days this laundry list (no pun intended) seems a little hard to put on!  Really God?  Compassion AND kindness AND humility AND gentleness AND patience AND forgiveness?  If this feels a bit overwhelming to you too- like the kind of closet you stare at feeling incapable of getting it all together: there’s good news!

Colossians 3:9b-10 (NIV)

Since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. 

Your wardrobe, should you choose to wear it, will be renewed to look just as the designer who made it!  Really, no need to stress out over keeping up with the latest trends, our Creator will supply you with all that you need to know to piece together ALL of those ANDs. 

I do have a CAUTION for you though:  while working at said retailer, I found myself becoming critical of other brands!  When a customer would come into the store sporting a pair of our competitors jeans I was quick to make a judgement about their “lack of style”.  Seems silly, right?  Unfortunately, we do this on a spiritual level too!  We make judgements about the compassion someone forgot to put on today, or how rude someone was despite their "I love Jesus" bumper sticker.  Let’s be careful that we’re not quick to criticize what each other are or aren’t wearing and rather focus on whether or not we got the WHOLE outfit together.  We are called to give a loving nudge when a close brother or sister in Christ is having a wardrobe malfunction, but not criticize (remember:  this requires us to be gracious when we get a loving nudge from a friend that can spot when we're having a wardrobe malfunction).

Colossians 3:14 (NIV)

And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

We can dress ourselves in these virtues, but without love it all falls flat.  Like that statement piece that brings the whole outfit together:  put on love.  So today, as you rise, put on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, and forgiveness.  And once we’ve done that, unify it with love, because this is the final piece that will bring the rest of it together.  It is this outfit that will draw the attention of the world (see Col 3:1-11).  These virtues will draw attention:  and the more you wear it, the more comfortable it will feel… and the people around you will begin to ask where they can get that “look” too.

Father, today as I rise I pray that you will renew my thinking that I would look like you today.  Please give me the compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience and forgiveness to dress myself in.  Father, I pray that you would help me to put on love, especially in times when I don’t feel loving.  Please give me a gentle reminder throughout my day of adjustments I need to make, and help me to be bold in speaking to who you are when others take notice.  In Jesus’ name, amen.

 

xo,

Jackie E

When God No Shows

When I was in fourth grade I was SO excited to get glasses!  I thought they were cool (this is in the early 90's- we defined cool).  By fifth grade I was praying them away, literally.  This was at a time when the churches were having crusades, healings happening everywhere, and a church that was excited!  With each special service or guest speaker I heard I asked God to heal my poor eyesight.  My young faith was convinced he would do that for me!  But he didn't.  Time after time, prayer after prayer, believing with my whole heart, God no showed.  And it seemed as though he showed up for the people around me, but why not me?

Let's pick it up in Matthew 14

Matthew 14:22-33 (NIV)

²² Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. ²³ After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone, ²⁴ and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.
²⁵ Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. ²⁶ When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear.
²⁷ But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”
²⁸ “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”
²⁹ “Come,” he said.
Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. ³⁰ But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”
³¹ Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”
³² And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. ³³ Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

Have you ever spent a considerable amount of time with a few people?  Lived in a dorm, gone on a mission trip, eat, sleep, and do most everything with them for a time?  You get to know them pretty well, like what things you would prefer they not eat, jokes to play on their fears (hello creation of the plastic cockroach), what makes them cry, and what their favorite shirt is.  So when we read that when Jesus' disciples cried out in fear that "it's a ghost" does it strike you as odd?  His disciples didn't recognize him?  Oh and by the way, this wasn't the only time the people closest to him didn't recognize him! 

At times when God seems to no show, my question is this:  did he really no show, or did you fail to recognize him?  A heavy question, I know!  There is no shame in your honest answer to this, remember the guys who hung out with him all the time didn't even recognize him!

So what do we do when we can't see him in our situation?  Let's take some cues from what we read:

1.  Spend time with God 

It's hard to distinguish him from the crowd when we don't know his voice, his tendencies, even his smell!  I included the first verses 22-23 so that you could see even Jesus took time to spend time with God (which just happened to be on a day he was mourning the death of John the Baptist, spent a lot of time healing people, preached for hours, and fed the crowd of 5,000+). 

2. Ask him to draw you to him 

Peter, in disbelief, asked Jesus to draw him to Him.  Notice that Jesus didn't scoff at their unbelief?  Instead he answered Peter's unbelief and told him to come!

3. Do what he tells you to do

Jesus told him what to do!  Imagine if Peter had said "naw, I'll stay here, I believe it's you.  Why don't you just come get in the boat?"  When we don't heed God's directions, we become good people, with good intentions, who make faulty decisions. 

4. Stay focused on God rather than your storm 

Living in Hawaii is pretty awesome, but I've learned quickly to have a healthy respect for the water.  Getting pulled back out to sea after a wave tosses you onto the beach teaches you that healthy respect.  I've had those thoughts rush through my head "I don't think I'm gonna make it out of this alive."  So when I read that Peter was afraid of the wind, I imagine it was a pretty legitimate fear... the "this may end me" kind of fear.  Focusing on the fear reveals unbelief, focusing on Jesus reveals faith.  Having the faith to focus on Jesus rather than the storm doesn't mean the storm goes away, but we can have peace in the midst of it and not get swallowed whole by it!  Psst...helpful hint:  focusing on God becomes easier when you spend time with him!

Almost 20 years had gone by when I had quit believing that God cared about my eyes.  My miracle came in the form of corrective surgery when my husband decided I really should get it, so much so that he created a budget in our already tight budget to ensure it would happen!  Much later God reminded me "remember those prayers?  I did."  My husband never knew about my prayer petitions, but God used the man I married to show me that God was always present in the situation I thought He no showed. 

Father,
  Thank you for your Word and all that we're able to draw from it.  Father help me to spend time with you that I might be able to better recognize you.  When I can't see you in my situation please draw me to you, help me to follow your commands and directions, and help me to keep my eyes on you rather than the storm.  Help me to trust that you are in the midst of what I'm going through.  In Jesus' name, Amen. 

xo

Feeling Not Enough

Ever have that feeling like you're not enough?  Let's not kid ourselves!  Of course you have.  Me too, Friend.  From the perfect pumpkin cheesecake that I made for a Thanksgiving potluck that never got touched (I mean, c'mon, it didn't even crack) to not knowing how to handle my kids in a given situation.  Though these are very real day-to-day scenarios, that sinking feeling like I just don't measure up plays a bigger role in how I feel about myself, respond to my husband, raise my kids, and even how I think God feels about me.  Battling this has been a tremendously hard journey, but I am so thankful that God has been patient in teaching me just how he feels about me, and I'd love to share just a little of that encouragement on to you!  Let's read this small bit from Mark.

Mark 12:41-44 (NIV)

The Widow’s Offering

⁴¹ Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. ⁴² But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents.
⁴³ Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. ⁴⁴ They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.”

When I first read this (well, after I question how awkward it was to get starred down when making an offering) I am quick to put it in the "sacrifice" category, nod with a smile, and tuck the meaning behind this lesson away for another time.  Though this picture that Jesus paints for us does point to sacrifice, I find that there is so much more hidden in these few verses.  Jesus didn't praise how much the wealthy had given, even though it's value could have accomplished far more than the widow's little gift.  It was never about the value of the gift, it was the heart attached to it.  So on a day when my contribution feels inadequate, I am gently reminded that God only asks that I work with what He's given me, and to do it wholeheartedly.  He's not measuring me based on how much impact my offering will provide, but the condition of my heart.  So take heart!  God wasn't determining whether or not my cheesecake measured up to Sally's apple pie!  He delights in the fact that I love to bake and do so to bring joy and bring people together!  So when that little voice tells you that you're not enough, silence it!  You, my friend, are enough.  

Colossians 3:23 (NIV)

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters

Father,
  Thank you for the many gifts and talents you have given me.  I rebuke the thought that I'm not enough!  I pray that you would soften my heart so that I am able to operate according to your will for my life, and that I would do it wholeheartedly.  Help me in areas where I am stubborn or reluctant to pour myself into what you have given me.  I love you.  Amen

xo, 
Jackie E