This time of the year it is apt to spend time to reflect on our lives. We need to review the year gone by, preview and plan for the new year.
Today we will begin a series on purpose which is a critical foundation to making our lives count.
We are alive to execute purpose. Everything in life has a purpose. Purpose is the reason why something exists or is done. Purpose is intended desired result, end, aim or goal. Purpose is anticipated outcomes that is intended.
“Purpose is a bedrock of impact. It fuels self-awareness; connects you to what really matters; brings clarity to decisions; and has the power to ignite people and organisations, often to fuel change, personal progression and social impact in ways that matter.” Sarah Anderson
Purpose should be what guides our actions, lifestyle and life.Purpose should be what determines what we will do with our lives daily, weekly, mothly, yearly.
“Purpose is the “why” of our being alive. What we do in your life is only ever as good as why you do it. That why, or purpose, is defined in almost all dictionaries as the “…reason for existence.” When we apply the powerful concept of purpose to our lives and organizations, they transform. Nothing becomes meaningless; everything becomes a stone on the path to delivering our reason for existence to the world.” Zach Mercurio
Purpose is the reason God created us.
“Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous–how well I know it. You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.” Psalms 139:14-16 NLT.
“I believe each of us has a mission in life, and that one cannot truly be living their most fulfilled life until they recognize this mission and dedicate their life to pursuing it.” Blake Mycoskie
You are not an accident but a deliberate creation of God to achieve set goals, aims and objectives in life.
Not discovering and living in and by purpose will result in:
1) Living haphazardly without a definite direction for your life.
2) Feeling lost in the sea of life.
3) Living an unfulfilled life even when it seems there is success.
4) Getting easily discouraged and getting into despair.
“People who lack purpose may try for a moment or a day. But they quickly get discouraged. They want results, but they don’t want to grind. They aren’t committed enough to the purpose to apply effort consistently until the mission is accomplished. The goal is too important to give up just because it’s hard.” David Geurin
“Figure out what your purpose is in life, what you really and truly want to do with your time and your life; then be willing to sacrifice everything and then some to achieve it. If you are not willing to make the sacrifice, then keep searching.” – Quintina Ragnacci
TO BE CONTINUED
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A REFLECTION ON PURPOSE Part 2
Last time we began looking at purpose. We saw that at this time of the year it is apt to spend time to reflect on our lives. We need to review the year gone by, preview and plan for the new year.
We saw that purpose is a critical foundation to making our lives count.
We are alive to execute purpose. Everything in life has a purpose. Purpose is the reason why something exists or is done. Purpose is intended desired result, end, aim or goal. Purpose is anticipated outcomes that is intended.
Benefits of living by purpose.
“Being clear on purpose helps you focus your two most precious resources — time and energy — more effectively. And there is plenty of research on the power of purpose, demonstrating some pretty strong upsides such as:
Helping us to navigate more clearly and easefully in times of crisis.
Supporting resilience and the ability to recover from negative events
Supporting longer and healthier lives
Creating greater employee engagement, retention and wellbeing.” Sarah Anderson
Living by purpose has many benefits, among which are:
1) (a) Our success is guaranteed no matter the adversity or opposition. “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28.
(b) We have access to unlimited resources – God always sponsors what He authors.
2) Gives our life a meaning.
“When you decide on your life’s purpose, it gives what you do a lot of meaning. Every step along the way and all the work you do towards reaching your goals serves to bring you one step closer. It becomes much easier to get things done when they are done with purpose and with a firm goal in mind.” Ana Willis
3) Makes us know that the sacrifices and inconveniences we go through will be worth it as its all in the bid to achieve something meaningful.
4) Makes us feel needed in life knowing we are alive to make meaningful contribution.
5) We will live deliberately and consciously knowing the path we are to take.
“Living with purpose also helps you define and set a system of core values that will guide you throughout the coming years. You don’t have to waste time and energy each day trying to figure out if what you’re doing is right or worth doing. As long as it aligns with your purpose, you know you’re on the right track. That gives you a lot of confidence in what you are doing.” Ana Willis
6) We know we are fulfilling divine agenda.
7) We are assured of reward by God, the giver of our purpose, if we fulfill it… we are assured of hearing “well done thou good and faithful servant”.
8) It’s the key to our highest fulfillmet ad satisfaction.
9) “Living with purpose is good for your health. Being needed, being helpful, and adding value to the lives of others has a measurable effect on both your physical and mental health. Living a purposeful life decreases your risk of heart disease and stroke, while it is also protecting you against depression. In fact, one of the best ways to fight depression is to find meaning and purpose in what you do each and every day.” Ana Willis
“Purpose is the place where your deep gladness meets the world’s needs.” – Frederick Buechner
TO BE CONTINUED
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A REFLECTION ON PURPOSE Part 3
We have been looking at purpose in the last couple of weeks.
Characteristics of purpose.
1) Pre-dates you.
“Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.” Jeremiah 1:4-5.
“But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb, and called me by his grace.” Galatians 1:15.
2) An act of grace. “But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb, and called me by his grace.” Galatians 1:15.
You did not qualify to be given a purpose because your purpose pre-dates you so there is nothing to boast about or feel inferior about.
3) You are specially made to suit and carry out your purpose. “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations. Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child. But the LORD said unto me, say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak. Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the LORD. Then the LORD put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the LORD said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth. See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant.” Jeremiah 1:5-10.
“You have a masterpiece inside you, you know. One unlike any that has ever been created, or ever will be. If you go to your grave without painting your masterpiece, it will not get painted. No one else can paint it. Only you.” – Gordon Mackenzie
Here are some characteristics of people living by purpose.
“High purpose people are willing to take more risks.
They will step out of their comfort zone to move forward because they have a reason to be bold. They know their why. They see the importance of what they’re doing and want to make a difference. Ultimately, risk takers learn more because they don’t retreat from challenges.
They have more energy and emotion about what they’re doing.
People with high purpose have passion for what they’re doing. They are deeply committed. They are intellectually connected to what they’re doing, but they’re also emotionally connected. They also feel it. They feel passion for their purpose.
They have no time for petty disputes or social drama.
Ever wonder how people can get distracted by petty disputes or social drama? It’s lack of purpose. People who are mission focused won’t allow themselves to drift from what’s most important.
They’re willing to make repeated efforts.
“People who lack purpose may try for a moment or a day. But they quickly get discouraged. They want results, but they don’t want to grind. They aren’t committed enough to the purpose to apply effort consistently until the mission is accomplished. The goal is too important to give up just because it’s hard.” David Geurin
CONCLUDED
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