Thursday, January 04, 2007

Your Life Purpose

I like how Agent Smith described purpose to Neo in Matrix Revolutions.

Agent Smith: But, as you well know, appearances can be deceiving, which brings me back to the reason why we're here. We're not here because we're free. We're here because we're not free. There is no escaping reason; no denying purpose. Because as we both know, without purpose, we would not exist.

[Several Agent Smith Clones walk in]

Agent Smith Clone 1: It is purpose that created us.

Agent Smith Clone 2: Purpose that connects us.

Agent Smith Clone 3: Purpose that pulls us.

Agent Smith Clone 4: That guides us.

Agent Smith Clone 5: That drives us.

Agent Smith Clone 6: It is purpose that defines us.

Agent Smith Clone 7: Purpose that binds us.


A couple of days ago I wrote a post called Possess Your Land. In that post I talked about creating a life plan. This plan includes several things the first of course being your life purpose.

Just as Agent Smith described it in the movie, purpose does do a lot of things. Many times it is the rudder that guides us as we journey through life. It defines much of what we do.

Many people go through life from thing to thing because the don't have a purpose that keeps them on track. A purpose that keeps them going in the right direction.

Part of planning says that, "if you fail to plan, you plan to fail." By not starting with your purpose in life you are not going to set up your plan to go in a direction that will bring fulfillment to your life.

A great example of someone having a purpose was Jesus. You see he had a purpose in His life. He said it Himself in Luke 19:10 For the Son of Man came to find and restore the lost. (The Message)

Here are is a practical guide to helping you discover your purpose:

1. Take out a sheet of blank paper or open up a new word processor file where you can type.
2. At the top write the following, “What is my life purpose?”
3. In the next five minutes write an answer (that's right I said five minutes) that comes into your head. It should be a short phrase consisting of no more than eleven words.
4. Begin praying over this purpose asking God to show you direction and to confirm His purpose for your life.

I believe that most people deep down know what their purpose is. Part of your plan is getting it out of you. Believe me this five minutes will spark your creativity and mind to action.

It is possible. The first time I did this exercise I nailed it on the first try in ten words. "To influence others to make a difference in their world." I was then able to edit it down to seven. I have since taken it back up to 11

Another way to help you discover your purpose is to fill in the blanks to the following state.

God made me to _____________ and when I _________________ I feel His pleasure.

This line came from the movie Chariots of Fire where Eric Liddell said "God made me fast and when I run I feel His pleasure."

Once you find your own unique answer to the question of why you’re here, you will feel it resonate within you. Sometimes it is hard to describe but it is like you know that you know.

1 comment:

Deborah Cutting said...

Oh my Goddess - thank you sooo much for sharing the fill in the blanks statement about life purpose & connection to God. Very powerful & has given me absolute clarity. I think it really works because there is no chance for "mind" to get in the way.