What's YOUR Purpose?

For the last 4 1/2 years, my purpose in life has been being a mommy. In fact, that will continue to be my purpose for the rest of my life. Motherhood is the most rewarding, highest calling that there is (in my humble opinion). However, the time is drawing near for Alana to start school. While it is one of the most terrifying things I've had to deal with, I am also looking forward to the next chapter in my life...and perhaps finding a new purpose. Who says we can't have more than one?! Justin and I are trying to make 2009 count. With him being away for half of the year, and a lot of big changes taking place, it could be frightening. I am not fearful, though. I am at total peace, because I know that I am not in control. I am not God :) But He is the One that gives me the courage to take the leap I need to. He is the One that will get me through. He is the One that gives me purpose.

Justin's Grandma sent me this in an email last night, and I thought it couldn't be more appropriate or better timed...


In the interview by Paul Bradshaw with Rick Warren, Rick said:


People ask me, What is the purpose of life? And I respond:
In a nutshell, life is preparation for eternity. We were not
made to last forever, and God wants us to be with Him in
Heaven.

One day my heart is going to stop, and that will be the end
of my body-- but not the end of me.

I may live 60 to 100 years on earth, but I am going to
spend trillions of years in eternity. This is the warm-up
act - the dress rehearsal. God wants us to practice on earth
what we will do forever in eternity.

We were made by God and for God, and until you figure that
out, life isn't going to make sense.

Life is a series of problems: Either you are in one now,
you're just coming out of one, or you're getting
ready to go into an other one.

The reason for this is that God is more interested in your
character than your comfort.
God is more interested in making your life holy than He is
in making your life happy.

We can be reasonably happy here on earth, but that's
not the goal of life. The goal is to grow in character, in
Christ likeness.

This past year has been the greatest year of my life but
also the toughest, with my wife, Kay, getting cancer.

I used to think that life was hills and valleys - you go
through a dark time, then you go to the mountaintop, back
and forth. I don't believe that anymore.

Rather than life being hills and valleys, I believe that
it's kind of like two rails on a railroad track, and at
all times you have something good and something bad in your
life.

No matter how good things are in your life, there is always
something bad that needs to be worked on.

And no matter how bad things are in your life, there is
always something good you can thank God for.

You can focus on your purposes, or you can focus on your
problems.

If you focus on your problems, you're going into
self-centeredness,'which is my problem, my issues, my
pain.' But one of the easiest ways to get rid of pain is
to get your focus off yourself and onto God and others.

We discovered quickly that in spite of the prayers of
hundreds of thousands of people, God was not going to heal
Kay or make it easy for her.

It has been very difficult for her, and yet God has
strengthened her character, given her a ministry of helping
other people, given her a testimony, drawn her closer to Him
and to people.

You have to learn to deal with both the good and the bad of
life.

Actually, sometimes learning to deal with the good is
harder. For instance, this past year, all of a sudden, when
the book sold 15 million copies, it made me instantly very
wealthy.

It also brought a lot of notoriety that I had never had to
deal with before. I don't think God gives you money or
notoriety for your own ego or for you to live a life of ease
.

So I began to ask God what He wanted me to do with this
money, notoriety and influence. He gave me two different
passages that helped me decide what to do, II Corinthians 9
and Psalm 72

First, in spite of all the money coming in, we would not
change our lifestyle one bit. We made no major purchases.
Second, about midway through last year, I stopped taking a
salary from the church.

Third, we set up foundations to fund an initiative we call
The Peace Plan to plant churches, equip leaders, assist the
poor, care for the sick, and educate the next generation.

Fourth, I added up all that the church had paid me in the
24 years since I started the church, and I gave it all back.
It was liberating to be able to serve God for free.

We need to ask ourselves: Am I going to live for
possessions? Popularity?

Am I going to be driven by pressures? Guilt? Bitterness?
Materialism? Or am I going to be driven by God's
purposes (for my life)?

When I get up in the morning, I sit on the side of my bed
and say, God, if I don't get anything else done today, I
want to know You more and love You better. God didn't
put me on earth just to fulfill a to-do list. He's more
interested in what I am than what I do.
That's why we're called human beings, not human
doings.

Happy moments, PRAISE GOD.
Difficult moments, SEEK GOD.
Quiet moments, WORSHIP GOD.
Painful moments, TRUST GOD.
Every moment, THANK GOD.
God's Blessings on you today.


Peace, Love and Purpose