Purpose

If you could read the pages of my journal from the days and years gone by, you would see some prayers written out over and over again.  You would hear my heart crying out for faith, for strength to trust God's plan, for the ability to keep my eyes on Jesus.  You would see a lot of reflection as I have pondered questions like, "What am I really here for?", "What is my purpose?" "What do I do with these desires?"  "What is God's will?".

As I have grappled with these and other questions like them, I always come back to one main answer:

I am here to glorify God (Isaiah 43:7, 1 Corinthians 10:31, and many others).  This is my purpose and the gauge through which all my desires and plans must be measured.   I am here to know Him, be known by Him, and make Him known.  In so doing, He is glorified. 

Understanding this and continually coming back to this has helped me in so many life journeys.

The journey through singleness.  Marriage is very glorified, especially in Christian circles.  Throughout my twenties, I had to ask myself, "Was I put here on this earth to get married?  Is that my purpose?  I don't think so.  Did God create marriage?  Yes.  Did he say that marriage is good?  Yes. Did he say that is His sole purpose for my life?  No.  Can God be glorified in marriage?  Yes.  Can be glorified in singleness?  Yes. 

What if?  What if God wanted me to be single and use my singleness to glorify Him?

The journey through infertility.  Having children is very glorified, especially in Christian circles.  "Children are a blessing from the Lord."  Indeed, but was I put here on earth to have children?  Is that my purpose?  I don't think so.  Did God say that having children is good and children are a blessing?  Yes.  Did he say that is the sole purpose for my life?  No.  Can God be glorified in family's lives that have children?  Absolutely.  Can God be glorified in my childlessness?  I sure hope so. 

I believe it was John Piper who said, "God is most glorified in me, when I am most satisfied in Him."  Over the years, I have had to ask myself so many times, what is it I am living for?  Marriage?  Children? If my sole purpose in life is to glorify God, then I will be able to say with the apostle Paul, I have learned to be content in all circumstances. 

This week I have been reading through one of my favorite books of the Bible, Philippians.  Paul says, "Whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.  What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord...I want to know Christ, yes, to know the power of his resurrection and the participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death."  Sometimes, often times, it is through the losses in life that we experience the greatest gain...the gain of knowing Christ. 

May He be glorified in you and I wherever we find ourselves today....in singleness, in marriage, in childlessness, or with a house full of children.  He asks one thing of all of us, that we glorify him in whatever we do, this is our purpose.