Searching for Purpose

As much as I don’t like answering “why?” for the 100th time from one of my kids, I actually do really enjoy asking why questions. Because I’m curious and sometimes nosey, and when I ask I learn things like the history of clock towers and the reason purple is considered royal. And when I’ve bee confident enough to dig a little deeper I’ve discovered my calling into ministry. (Trust me. When I was a shy introverted kid feeling a call to preach I asked God WHY?!)

Asking why helps us find direction in two ways. It leads us to discover purpose, and it shows us how we relate to that purpose. First - purpose.

"What is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them? You have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor. You made them rulers over the works of your hands" (Psalm 8:4-6).

We weren't accidents. All throughout scripture God reminds us that we were made with purpose. But here's the gap we're trying to cross: knowing that God has purposes doesn't automatically mean we know our purpose. We believe God is purposeful. We just don't always know what he's made us for.

This is what our visioning process and this “why” series is really about. We get to see how purpose plays out through the remarkable clarity of Paul: "Christ's love compels us!" (2 Corinthians 5:14). He knew why he got up in the morning. He knew what he was running toward. That kind of clarity sustained him through every hardship. That's what we're reaching for—clarity about why we exist, why we gather, why we serve.

So here are some questions for you: Why does this church exist in this community at this moment? Why am I part of this particular body? Why do we gather, serve, worship, give? Why has God placed me here with these gifts, these people, these opportunities?

These questions may be tough to answer, and sometimes uncomfortable… but they are also freeing. When we understand purpose, we can release what isn't ours to carry and invest deeply in what matters most.

The God who makes nothing without purpose has surely made you—and this church—with one too. Let's keep asking why until we find it.

Next week: Why relationship matters—how asking "why" connects us to God and each other.

Will you Pray with me?

This week in The Methodist Book of daily Prayer (a daily devotional our staff and Board members are reading together) is all about anointing in celebration of the baptism of Jesus by John. The evening prayer for this week seems fitting for a desire for purpose:

God of anointing and blessing,

You are always working for the good of those who love and serve you. Thank you for the ways that you have showed up for me today. Set apart time and space for me to see you. Continue to work in my heart to trust you, to see you at work in my life, and to believe that you can set apart and use me in extraordinary ways.

Amen.

“Listening is the first act of loving.”

Steph