4:160 – Glorious Purpose

#faithbites #faithjourney glorious

Setting

Today, the Disney+ Show Loki premiered with an episode called, “Glorious Purpose”. I’m a huge Marvel and superhero fan and was excited to see this show. It wasn’t quite sure what to expect but it was fun. This will definitely be a slow burn but a good show. Without giving any spoilers, the title, “Glorious Purpose”, says it all. Loki is asked over and over what his purpose is.

As God often does, he is messing with me, as I was feeling a bit adrift today. Between all of the changes I discussed yesterday, and life in general, I’m still trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up. As a child, I thought I would be an astronaut or president or someone who made a huge difference in the world. I know now that I make a difference every day to those around me. At the same time, I still wonder what my overall purpose is. Some days, while I know God knows his plans, I wish he would just tell me my future. I’m not asking to be the God of Mischief or President, just an inkling of what’s next. (And yes, I know I am blessed and should love what I have now.)

Today’s Questions: If you know what your purpose is, when did you figure it out? Also how did you figure it out? If you don’t yet know, what are you doing until you know?

Scripture

• Ephesians 2:10 (ESV) – For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
• Proverbs 19:21 (ESV) – Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.
• Matthew 6:33 – Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.

Reflection

A friend recently told me that asking a kid what they want to be when they grow up is one of the worst things we can do. We are asking a child to chose a profession before they are ready, and that we value who they are by their profession. What if we asked children, who do you want to be or what type of person do you want to be when they grow up. How would that change the conversation?

Looking at our scriptures we see that God has plans for us. We know this and understand he only wants what is best for us. What is hard is when our plans are different than his. (Proverbs). We think we want to be President or whatever and when that doesn’t happen, we become lost or disheartened. The problem is we are seeking our own Glory first, rather than the glorious purpose that God has set out for us. God tells us that if we seek him first and live righteously, we will give us everything we need. Read “need” not “want”.

In Everybody’s Free by Baz Luhmann (otherwise, known as Trust me on the Sunscreen), he states “Don’t feel guilty if you don’t know what you want to do with your life. The most interesting people I know Didn’t know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives. Some of the most interesting 40-year-olds I know still don’t”. I’m 44 and don’t know what I want to be when I grow up 🙂 But, I need to realize that my profession is not my glorious purpose. My purpose is to serve our Lord!

As we close, remember two things. Our profession is our purpose. Two, it’s ok if you don’t know what your purpose is. Trust that God has a plan and he will get you where you need to be. God has us!

Prayer

Lord Jesus, thank you for having our back. Thank you for having our plan laid out for us. Lord, we ask you to help us understand your plans. Remind us that our purpose is not our job, it’s not defined by our wealth. Our success is in you. We pray that you comfort us when we are feeling lost, protect, and help us. We pray this in your name, Amen.