What do you do when it seems like getting through the day is all you can do? Before I go any further, let me say this: Your first step is to just keep going. 2000 was an extremely difficult year for my husband and I. Internal struggles led to a change in circumstance that rocked my world. The ministry position that we held disappeared like a retracted plank. We were falling, groundless, uncertain of where we would land. The future I had envisioned evaporated. The lack of certainty unleashed fear. Where would we go? How would we live? What was the future now?
Having young children anchored me. I had to keep going, getting them to school, making their meals, getting them bathed and in bed. Even with that, I think I literally cried for three days. But there came a point in my crying conversations with God when I sensed His voice saying, “Enough.” I had cried enough. I had mourned enough. It was time to remember my focus. It was time to remember that God’s purpose for me was not finished even though this ministry position was. It was time to remember that I don’t live for myself or my own idea of purpose. It was time to remember that my first purpose is to live for God’s glory and honor Him in my choices and emotions.
Remember when I encouraged you to write a purpose statement? (Link to post) Now, halfway through the year and in the midst of all your unexpected events, is the time to go grab the index card or post-it note you wrote it on or the journal you wrote it in and put it in front of your eyes every day. You are facing obstacles. Perhaps the ground has disappeared from beneath your feet similar to what I experienced. Those obstacles and the instability of your circumstances aren’t what is most important. The tasks you wanted to accomplish are not most important. The dreams you have had for your life are not most important. God’s purpose for you is what still matters.
What are you made for? It isn’t a job or ministry. Being a spouse or parent isn’t your purpose in life. You will be fulfilling your purpose as you are a parent or spouse or employee or minister, but those roles are not your purpose. Your purpose can be accomplished no matter what roles you are filling. The thing to keep in mind is that it’s more about mission than tasks. The tasks are not the mission. The tasks accomplish the mission. If your current situation prevents you from accomplishing specific tasks that you thought were part of your purpose, then readjust your strategy and refocus on your mission. The obstacles you are facing can’t derail your mission. They may derail what you think you are supposed to DO, but the doing is not your purpose. The being is your purpose. What are you supposed to BE? That’s what you focus on now in the midst of the swirl of circumstances that are out of your control and beyond your ability to comprehend.
What you do is not your purpose. Your mission is your purpose. Do you know your mission? Dear Friend, I know the road is rough right now. I know it is hard to hold on to your sense of purpose when you are just trying to survive the onslaught of circumstances. You may feel like everything is flying through the air headed toward your face. That’s when you focus on the truth. That’s when you declare that nothing will hold you back from accomplishing the purpose you were created for. That’s when you decide that living for God is what get’s you through. As you focus your thoughts on your mission, you find yourself like Luke Skywalker wielding his lightsaber. You don’t need to think. You are just able to fight off the fears and focus.
God’s purpose remains bigger than just getting to the other side. God’s purpose remains shaping your Christlike character and loving you through life on earth. Even in your problems, you can fulfill your purpose. It’s not about the tasks. It’s about the people and how you respond to them. It’s not about what is taken, but what you give. It’s not about what you do. It’s about who you are.
I had already crafted my purpose statement when the bottom dropped out in 2000. Even though I didn’t pull it out and put it in front of me as I am suggesting for you, it was a part of me and shaped my response. I didn’t hold onto it specifically, but it was in me and anchored me because it helped me understand that God’s purpose for me was bigger than a specific place and position. Position is not purpose.
Remember, even in the midst of of all the difficulty, God is working out His purpose in and for you. Hold onto your purpose. Ultimately, your purpose and mine is to live for God’s glory. Keeping that in focus guides all the other decisions. That light guides our steps in the darkest of times. Keep going, dear Friend!
Key thought: When you know your purpose, even times of uncertainty can be anchored in stability.
A Scripture to consider: “All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” Psalm 139:16 NIV
A YES Challenge: Re-read the post on creating a purpose statement. (Click here) If you have already crafted your statement, review it and evaluate any needed changes. Look at your current circumstances in light of that statement. What steps will fulfill that purpose in your current situation? If you have not created a purpose statement, now is the time! Here is a resource for you: Click here for an article on crafting a personal mission statement:
Prayer: Father, sometimes it is extremely hard to accomplish the tasks I think I am supposed to complete. At the end of the day, survival seems to be the only thing I am accomplishing. Help me to hold onto the anchor of purpose and mission as I navigate these uncertain circumstances. Amen.
