Psalm 139:13
You[God] knit me together in my mother’s womb.
Knit- to join together, put together.
I am as unique as a snowflake.
My fingerprints are unique to only me.
God has a plan for me! God gave me purpose!
God has a purpose for your life- unique to you as well!
Comprehending this statement is important because life without direction and purpose is futile. Please do not confuse busyness or achievement or success with purpose. Some people think “my purpose in life is to get rich or be famous.” Well, that’s doable but not significant, because the focus is material and self centered. Others drift from day to day dreaming about retirement and miss out on making today count. Some imagine some better situation when life will be good and miss what God has placed right in front of them.
Your purpose is with people. Even though I can’t tell you God’s specific purpose and plan for your life, I can say with confidence that you were created for relationship with Him and with others.
Always, our purpose connects us with others.
You were also created to bless others. If you live focused only on how God will meet your needs and satisfy your wants, you will lose sight of your purpose —to be a blessing to others wherever you go. The truth is, when you see your life make a difference in somebody else’s life (aka- Live Out Loud)— that will make your life more abundant. I am not talking about being best friends and invested with everyone you meet, but being intentional with “the one”, “the divine appointment”, that person that God placed in your path (your appointment book, that phone call, that student, that co-worker, sales person, cashier, etc) today.
So, here’s the question.
Have we lost the margin in our lives to bless others?
We live at a furious pace, running busy schedules with our kids, our jobs, with board meetings and committee meetings, but we’re not really present for any of them. The author of the book The Turquoise Table, Kristin Schell, says, “With no margin in our lives, the idea of being present seems out of reach.” How can I be present —without distractions? Today, be conscious of how often you miss connecting with others because you’re processing what’s next on your schedule or you’re checking your phone.
Imagine pausing for a moment- even putting our phones down so we can enjoy a moment with someone nearby.
Stop. Listen. Really listen. What’s impacting their world right now? How is it making them feel?
Depending on your relationship with the person, the next question can be -how are you processing your feelings? Or perhaps you offer thoughts on how you process. A mentor friend of mine once posed this question to me? How is God working in your life today? That simple, but thought provoking question helped me process how I was allowing my circumstance at that time to cloud my ability to see the good that was actually happening because of my circumstance. She paused to listen to me and allowed me to talk through what was going on in my head, and in my heart.
Whatever prompts you use, the idea is to be “fully present” in the moment so you are able to make a difference in their life. You know we say it like this…..
Keep Living Out Loud
in HIM, terry