Just saw the new Batman movie and I got tell you, Heath Ledger was incredible in his depiction of a demented criminal. Yet, this actor with all of his brilliance, good looks, talent, fame and money struggled to sleep at night. So much so that he overdosed on both prescription and non-prescription sleeping pills… What’s up with that?
A few weeks ago, Ruslana Korshunova, a beautiful, successful Russian model jumped from her 9th story apartment. A normally happy-go-lucky young lady calls it quits in the prime of her life.
Then there’s Owen Wilson and his suicide attempts last year.
Furthermore, there’s our country – The United States is the richest, most powerful country on the face of the planet. We have more food, more jobs, more cars, more freedom, more education, more opportunities than any other country. Yet, we have more people who always have to have MORE. Personal debt is at an all-time high. More than half of all marriages end in divorce. Millions are hopped up on depression medication, and the self-worth of our society is at an all-time low.
How is it that people are so unhappy and lacking a reason to live?
Perhaps, it’s due to a lack of purpose… It’s one thing to live, it’s another to know why.
If you ask a hundred people how they would define purpose they often respond by saying, purpose is what we are meant to “do” while we’re here on earth; it’s how we make a difference in the world utilizing our gifts and talents. This conventional perspective relies on the ability to somehow know or stumble across that magic thing that is your destiny to fulfill. No wonder many people go through life wondering what their purpose is and not feeling satisfied.
I purpose that purpose is not in what we are “doing”, but in what we are “being”.
Imagine a beautiful jeweled goblet as your life purpose and the glorious wine within it your life. Can you see how your life purpose can shape your whole life as well as give it form and direction?
Can you imagine everything you do in your life pouring from this purposeful vessel of your being-ness? Imagine everything you engage in from doing the dishes to leading a board meeting as a direct expression of your life purpose. How would you feel?
So one needs to truly analyze what it is internally that keeps them from experiencing all that God has to offer them. These are the limitations that we place upon ourselves.
Three questions to ask yourself:
1. What do you believe about God’s love for you?
2. What do you believe God thinks about you?
3. What promises of God are you applying in your life?
I learned that a deep sense of fulfillment, which we are all seeking, comes from just being me, the me that God made me to be.
