“The journey to Truth itself is what quickens the heart to become lighter. The lighter the heart, the purer it is. The purer the heart, the closer to light it becomes.” — Suzy Kassem
“Discovering the truth about ourselves is a lifetime’s work, but it’s worth the effort.” — Fred Rogers
“Rather than love, than money, than fame, give me truth.” — Henry David Thoreau
“The wisdom of the prudent is to give thought to their ways, but the folly of fools is deception.” – Proverbs 14:8 NIV
When it comes to finding purpose within your life, I guess one could take a simply approach as Alan Watts suggests below:
“The meaning of life is just to be alive. It is so plain, obvious and so simple. And yet, everybody rushes around in a great panic as if it were necessary to achieve something beyond themselves.” — Alan Watts
You might subscribe to this creed when it comes to your own life. Just simply live and let the chips fall so to speak wherever they fall. When death comes (and it will inevitably come) you have at least focused on the aspects of life that brought some excitement and joy to the decades (or maybe only years) that define your existence.
But what about this quote from the Dalai Lama:
“The question is not to know what the meaning of life is, but what meaning I can give to my life.” — Dalai Lama
Maybe there is more than just simply living? Could it be that finding purpose gives this simple life a deeper meaning – one that is driven by your personal decisions, actions, and the direction you decide to pursue? Is the individual responsibility to search for and give your life meaning, as the Dalai Lama suggests, the only track toward finding it?
Now, add in these quotes from Scripture:
“For I know the plans I have for you“—this is the LORD’s declaration—”plans for your welfare, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” – Jeremiah 29:11 HCSB
“The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O LORD, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands.” – Psalm 138:8 ESV
Without a doubt, the Creator has a purpose for your life – one He pledges to fulfill – one filled with hope and an abundant future. To “just be alive” as Watts suggests, diminishes this truth. But the truth behind a divine God-ordained plan for your life and the individual responsibility to pursue this plan and its meaning, as the Dalai Lama conveys above, is the true definition of finding purpose. It requires a belief that there is such a plan and to spend your life in pursuit of connecting to it and the meaning behind it.
One of the things central to this pursuit is frequent and honest self-evaluation – the need to look within for self-truth. Looking at the hard facts of who you are, your strengths and weaknesses, and how to respond to both, play a critical role in finding and living out your purpose.
Now don’t get me wrong. When I use the term self-truth, I am not referring to something relative or open to personal interpretation. You have heard the term “Truth is relative” meaning there are no universal truths – only those shaped individually by one’s own upbringing, culture, and personal perceptions.
The self-truth I am speaking of isn’t subjective, but firmly and consistently objective – the definition driven by laws and principles that are proven steadfast and eternal.
I love how the Proverb’s verse above gives credence to the wise man who “gives thought to his ways.” The Scriptures also tell us that “God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son” (Romans 8:29 NLT). Seeking self-truth not only makes us wise, but it moves us forward in God’s plan to have us emulate the characteristics of Christ within our lives.
Am I the kind of person who forgives easily or who holds on to unforgiveness? Do I love without condition, or do I tend to only show love to those who show love toward me? Am I quick to serve others or do I find other things to do that are more self-serving? When you are honest with yourself, seeking self-truth about who you are and where you need to focus, you are giving thought to your ways and moving in the direction of becoming more like your Savior my friend 😊
Self-deception is the opposite of seeking self-truth – thinking we are something or someone we are not. The Psalmist above refers to this as “the folly of fools” – the idiocy or madness of ignoring truthful self-reflection. We can “simply live” and not give too much thought to how our thinking, our actions, or our beliefs interfere or impede our created purpose or we can give thought to our ways and walk the predestined pathway God has intended for us here on this earth. How can we find our purpose being aloof or indignant to the things within us that need to change?
There is a different kind of deception that I am dealing with as it pertains to this – believing that personal change isn’t possible for me, that I am too old to change my ways or highly incapable of it. In my personal search for self-truth, I see things about myself that feel insurmountable – like a mountain too high to scale or overcome.
If you are like me my friend, read and cling to these verses – just as I am currently.
“Therefore, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God [set aside self-righteous pride], so that He may exalt you [to a place of honor in His service] at the appropriate time.” – 1 Peter 5:8 AMP
“Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord.” – Romans 7:24-25 NLT
“And in Christ you have been brought to fullness.” – Colossians 2:10 NIV
“May God himself… sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless…” – 1 Thessalonians 5:23 NIV
When change seems impossible, remember nothing is impossible with our God! Remember God’s promise to support us, to change us, and to be with us as we travel our pathway back to Him!
Finding our purpose in this life starts with healthy self-reflection and seeking truth about ourselves. When we see those things in need of change, we need to lean on our God – who has predestined us to become more like His Son 😊
This alone, my friend, is the most profound purpose of our journey through this life.
