Today as I was sitting around the table with my mom and sister preparing gift boxes for a women’s retreat that we are leaving to for the weekend. A conversation about a sermon we had all listened to recently came up. Each of us gave our enthusiastic answer as to why we loved the teaching and what we took away from it.

 

I told them that I had to listen to it twice. The first time was of me listening in awe. The second time was for me to go back for the meat of the word and to soak it all up.

 

This is generally my reaction to any sermon that is about living out our passions, walking in our gifts, and/or pursuing our purpose. Listening to such sermons that has the backbone with the word of God gives me a rush. Passion and Purpose for life is what my mind craves to learn about and what my soul hungers for.

 

Why?

 

Because for years I sat in self pity that I never knew what my purpose was.

I had no idea what made my soul happy or my heart content. I was literally living a day by day life with a mentality that this is just who I am.

Work, babies, marriage, and to learn how to be ok with everything in between.

I was loosing the war constantly trying to convince myself that passion and purpose doesn’t exist; that it was just something that other people were really good at. #findingyourpurpose Share on X

What I didn’t want to cope with was the fact that it was a non stop battle to live that way.

Inside of me was a constant yearning and an indescribable hunger pain to do more and be more. It was a constant battle to fight the thoughts that I could be anything more. I was loosing the war constantly trying to convince myself that passion and purpose doesn’t exist; that it was just something that other people were really good at.

 

But God….

 

Need I say more?

With God, our worth is exposed, our purposed is given through visions, and our passion is laid out before us.

Our good works is diligently done for His purpose because of His passion for us. From there, there is no longer thirst or hunger, no confusion, or doubt, just completeness of knowing the plans have been set and I am the purpose for them!

 

Karissa’s post this week described every bit of the in between that I have experienced. And to be completely honest with you, thoughts I still struggle with when I am not allowing God to take the lead.

 

Karissa’s post is full of transparency and grace about struggling to discover your God given gifts.

 

Here is Karissa’s post featuring on Salt & Light Link Up….

Struggling to Discover your God given Purpose?

Start here.

 

Have you ever experienced that internal struggle?  You know… wanting to do something important?  Wanting to matter? Desiring to live life on purpose, but just not knowing how?

 

Yeah, I’ve been there too.  And it’s of God, right?  He wired us this way.  He made us to be productive.  Adam was given a task when God created Him, and we are given things to do too.  (Genesis 2, Ephesians 2:10)

 

That alone is pretty amazing, right?

 

And then to add the fact that we- as those who are redeemed- get to live our lives to glorify God is just incredible.  (1 Corinthians 6:20)

 

God wants us to live life on purpose.  He wants us to live with a desire to glorify Him with the things we have been given.

 

So Why The Struggle?

 

So why do we struggle to know and walk in the purpose God has given us?

 

If you’ve been following my blog for any period of time you know that I am a big proponent of taking the time to understand who we are in Christ, how God made us as individuals, and what God is calling us to step into.  Taking the time out to “Unravel your Identity” is good… when done in submission to and with the Lord Himself.  (Because that, of course, is the only way it CAN be done!)

 

Here’s the thing, though.  This identity thing- is important.  So important that the bible is FULL of scripture on the topic.  It’s so important that our enemy can’t wait to get his hands on it and twist it.  Right?!  Isn’t that what he does? He takes something that is good and ever so slightly changes it.  Deception.

 

This is what it might look like: 

 

You have a deep desire to live a meaningful life.  You want to do it according to the Lord.  But you’re just not sure where to start.

 

Maybe you put it on the backburner:

“Yeah I probably should spend some time in prayer about this.  Maybe I could journal.  My mentor might be able to walk me through this. There are probably some lies that need to be rooted out…”

 

Sound Familiar?

 

Does any of this sound familiar?

 

I’ve been there.  Yes.  I’ve been tempted to let distractions like comparison come in and keep me from walking in the things God has for me.

 

I’ve seen others there as well.  Discouraged and frustrated with God for not making things clearer.

 

Oh, how deception can take us so far from the truth God is asking us to walk in if we are not alert.

 

Because the truth is God has given you something to do.

 

You might not have the full picture. You might not know how this one seemingly simple thing that He is asking you to do will turn into something that is so fulfilling.  (Something that uses the passions and gifts God has given you. Something that you are so excited to pour your life into.)

 

But here is the thing:

You don’t have to feel fulfilled to walk out your kingdom identity and kingdom purpose.  

 

Continue post here.