| Share |  |
 | |||
Discover Your Life's Purpose
Whenever God is doing something, it is revealed in several different ways. It is revealed through our conversations, the stirring of our hearts and sometimes even through the media.
This "it" is destiny and purpose. Over the last several months this topic has arisen in informal conversations on a weekly basis.
People ask how they can discover their purpose or destiny and how they can achieve it. They ask for themselves and on behalf of spouses, children and teenagers. I say "informal conversation" because one aspect of my profession as a life coach is helping people understand their purpose and walk in that purpose toward their destiny. I believe that God has created us for a purpose and wants us to know, grow and walk in that purpose. How do individuals begin to understand their purpose? How can we help one another in the process?
Prayer
Prayer is the foundation of and first component in the life purpose quest. Pray for God to reveal Himself and make your purpose clear to you. Ask others to intercede for you in this endeavor. God is personal and speaks to us, wanting us to live our lives in Him and for Him to the fullest.
Life Experiences
When it comes to using our past experiences to inform current decisions, I believe that "Process" is the operative word, because processes take time. Take time to think through your life experiences. What events do you recall? I recommend using categories for this; here are a few to consider: family background, spiritual gifts, teams or groups, awards and honors. Categories help us recall and catalog these experiences. What have been some of your significant life experiences?
Importance of Experiences 
Questions play an important role in the continuing process of discovering one's life purpose. Two major questions are: Why is this important? What have I learned from this experience? Let me give an example. My parents were divorced when I was young. I didn't have any control over this event. My parents' decision was not the result of my actions or inactions. I was NOT responsible for the destruction of my parents; neither was I responsible to get them reconciled after the divorce. This major understanding of boundaries can be learned early or later on in life, but the later the person learns it, the more time is spent in misery and self-condemnation.
While there were countless lessons I learned, one outcome was that I had to be more responsible. I can look back on my life now and see how being responsible at an early age helped shape me for management and leadership later in life. For each of us, our life experiences are meaningful in different ways, but we must note the experiences and then ask why they were important, and in what positive ways those experiences have shaped and prepared us for God's purpose.
Action
So you've taken the time to review and evaluate your life's experiences. Now what? Ask God what He would like for you to learn or recall about these experiences and how they fit in your life purpose.
Conclusion
As I said earlier, I believe that God wants us to know our life purpose and live it for His Glory. He has put that knowing within our reach. Our lives reveal it. Considering our life experiences and processing them are a beginning to understanding our destiny.
Copyright © 2008-2015 Diane Wiater, Ph.D.
Post Your Comment...
|
|
||||||||||||
