What is your purpose

Thank you so much for all the emails I have been getting this week. I am glad that a couple of my reflections were able to impact people in a manner in which it made them create more positive thoughts about their lives. I was not going to write anymore this week however some of the questions that were posed to me indicated that I needed to write one more time.

I have written many times about being the person God created you to be however I have never written about knowing when you are finally that person. The reason I have avoided that topic is because there is no definitive answer and it will always be a moving target. I know many people that for years have passionately served in God’s great kingdom only to find circumstances in life pointing them in a different direction.

The person God created us to be is a person of love, caring, and sharing. We have minds that should be in a constant state of learning. The old saying “an idle mind is the devil’s playground” is so true especially now. There is another saying we will connect to this which I am also sure you are familiar with and it goes like this “you are either green and growing or ripe and rotting”. Well I hope my mind is not idle and I sure hope I am not rotting.

God created in us the desire to find the Holy Grail of life which is the constant search for love and peace. When you find that joy and peace in your heart it is safe to say you are probably living close to God’s purpose for you. Please do not confuse yourself when your passion for serving shifts away from the area you are already in. It is spiritual maturity when you can move into rough waters and with God’s grace challenge everyone to calm the seas.

I say look at your talent and then use it for the greater glory of God. There will be times when you will stray for various reasons. Whether it be greed, guilt, depression, confusion, or simply a period in time when you just lack caring. Those times will crop up and when you look back they will be some of the best faith based learning you ever had. See in this great world we find that God has set forth circumstances that will help us grow into better people. It is our job to recognize, accept, and act on those special times.

The challenge in this growth is to never allow others to hold you back. When people in the name of faith and religion try to place you outside the grace of God you can bet that the devil is working overtime on them. The best evangelists in history were usually people with a rough past. They somehow found the grace of God and then used their past experiences as teaching to help others avoid the snares they find themselves in. You see no matter what you have done or where you are whether at the end of life, in the middle, or still in the early stages God is working on you.

Are you living God’s purpose? Well if you are living then you are not far from his purpose. If you are reading scripture, helping people, forgiving and accepting forgiveness then you are on the right track. If you question your purpose I challenge you to do this. Next time you are preparing to make a large purchase that you really do not need see if you have the courage instead to donate the money to a charity that serves your passion. That just might be the seed of encouragement you need for the spiritual flower in you to grow. There is more in you then you will know so dig deep and find the courage to live and serve in a way that only you can do.

In closing it is imperative that you know that you are an important person on this earth and no matter what people may tell you the world would not be better off if you were not in it.

Today was a great day and tomorrow can be better. Face the obstacles with courage and stare down the darkness that has created that shadow of doubt that resonates in your heart. Stir some music, create a buzz, make some noise, stand up and be counted. When others try their best to pull you back to reality keep on marching forward. When you stand still in life the devil will be the bulldozer that makes darn sure that the only dream you live will be a nightmare. Get up and get out let this movement catch fire and who knows together we just might all be a part of a life changing event that God himself will be proud of. Get the fire burning, heck I can already feel the heat from your heart so I know God has moved you to live your purpose.

Peace to you
Dale Childress