Finding your life’s purpose

Question

How do I find my purpose in life? I want to serve God, but I’m not sure what to do or how to go about it.

Answer

This is one of the most important questions I have the privilege of answering, partially because so many people ask and partially because I have seen the result when someone finally understands why they are here.

Here is the short answer: everyone’s purpose is the same. We are created to glorify God in everything (1 Corinthians 10:31).

Secondly, every Christian’s mission is the same. We are to spend our lives building up the Body of Christ, the church (Ephesians 2:8-10; 4:11-13; 2 Timothy 3:16-17).

How we accomplish our purpose and mission differs for each person, and many factors can affect that.

• A person who is married or has a family will have different priorities than those who do not.
• A person with a physical disability will work differently than someone without.
• Age, gender, career, and culture all play a part in discovering how to best fulfill our roles in the Body.

One of the best self-evaluations is based on the acronym SHAPE. You are uniquely designed by God to do your part in the Body based on your:

• Spiritual gift(s) – how the Holy Spirit decided to empower you to serve (1 Corinthians 12:7)
• Heart (passions) – the thing that you cannot imagine living without
• Abilities – your natural abilities that you are obviously good at
• Personality – the way you think, feel, and interact with people and circumstances
• Experiences – the life experiences that have affected your way of thinking and dealing with situations

Your SHAPE means that there is no one exactly like you anywhere else, and that makes you suited to minister in a way unlike anyone else.

So, instead of trying to find purpose in your role or job or ministry, shift your thinking to recognize that you already have a pre-defined purpose: to glorify God in everything.

You do that through your ministry, your eating, your fellowship, your family, your fun…through your whole life! Each of these is just one part of living out the purpose and mission God has already given you.