Mark Twain once said, “The two greatest days of your life are the day you were born and the day you find out why.” I have heard several pastors quote him when they preach about purpose. We all need a purpose in our life – a reason to go on. I have seen so many people look forward to retirement and when they finally get there; waste away in a few short years. They retired from work, but they didn’t retire to something else for them to passionately pursue and they lost their reason for living.
I think there is some truth in Mark Twain’s statement, but I have experienced two days of birth; the day my mother gave birth to me into life on earth and the day my spirit was born anew into eternal life through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. There have also been more days than one when I have discovered purpose for my life. My general purpose hasn’t changed too much, but as I entered each new phase of my life, I discovered specific new ways to pursue and accomplish my purpose. For many years I pursued my purpose by being a loving, faithful and encouraging husband and a faithful, dependable and valuable worker.
As long as my heart is still beating and I have breath in my lungs, I know that God is not done with me yet. There is still work to be done. For me, now that I have physical limitations, my purpose is sharing my faith and experiences on this blog and in my personal relationships of mentoring and encouraging.
Have you discovered your purpose for being here? What you are passionate about will give you a big clue. Another clue is that your purpose will have to do with people and relationships, not things. The only way to find out specifically and for sure is to take that question of purpose to the One who gives us life. He will not only give you assurance about your purpose, He will give you the resources to accomplish it.