Life is a journey. This is a simple enough concept to understand but it’s more difficult to grasp the true meaning of what is being said. Finding purpose in our lives is usually associated with our profession or the way we choose to spend our leisure time. A nurse or a pastor may feel “called” to help people physically or spiritually. A life of service to others can be clearly defined and understood.
What about the rest of us? How do we find our purpose in life?
Earlier this week, my ten year old daughter was battling a 24 hour virus. Announcing itself around 1am, my daughter was unable to make it to the bathroom before the contents of a chicken fried rice dinner from the night before landed on her bedroom carpet. This was not exactly a lovely way for either of us to wake up from a deep slumber.
As I sat on my hands and knees cleaning the carpet and gasping for air, something occurred to me that became crystal clear in my mind. My purpose, in that moment, was to clean the sickness strewn out before me. It was gross and certainly not something I would have chosen to do in the middle of the night, but I was placed on this vast expanse of earth to clean the carpet and care for my sick daughter. As she lay in my arms and fell asleep an hour later, the safety and comfort I provided was my reason for living.
When I got divorced years ago, I asked friends if I could stay with them for a couple of weeks . in order to work through an undefined transition period. What started as two weeks ended up being three months. Critical life events take considerably longer than you think they will, especially when emotions are involved.
Not only did my friends provide a roof over my head when I needed it most, they also gave me a window into what family life could be for me in the future. The happiness and stability of their home made me realize I could move past a difficult point in my life. Their purpose, whether they realized it or not, was to give me hope.
If life is truly a journey, so is our purpose in life. It’s possible you’ve been able to define your purpose professionally, spiritually or otherwise, but that’s not where the story ends. As we move through life, our purpose will evolve and become different depending on choices made by us or those around us.
A wife who’s currently a homemaker may be content caring for her husband and children. An illness to one of her children, herself or her husband would change what had been a clearly defined purpose. Different life goals and priorities would begin to take shape, forming a new life path that would be very different from the one that would have existed years prior.
We’re conditioned to look at our purpose as a grandiose event or something spectacular featured on the cover of magazines or worthy of a viral moment on YouTube. The reality is much more mundane. Our life is filled with a series of purposeful moments that, when added up, provide a mosaic of reasons for our existence. Whether you’re being a good listener to a friend in need or providing advice to your child, your purpose is defined in that particular moment.
Cleaning a carpet on my hands and knees in the middle of the night isn’t going to provide me with national recognition; however, it will almost certainly be remembered by my daughter at some point during her life.
My short term purpose in life is pretty clear.
Chicken fried rice is off the menu.
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