"Don't worry about your life's purpose. Know your season. There is purpose in your season."
- S. Furtick
Your purpose can change. It can vary from season to season, even day to day. Today your purpose may be to learn, and tomorrow to teach. Today your purpose may be to have a need. Tomorrow your purpose may be to give.
Many of us often wonder about our purpose. The purpose and meaning of our life, the purpose of our struggles and suffering; or perhaps the purpose of trials experienced by a loved one.
I read the following quote in a book by Victor Frankl, 'Man's search for meaning'. The quote is...
"He who has a why to live can bear almost any how." - Friedrich Nietzsche
Victor Frankl used this quote more than once in his book as he described his years of suffering and experiences, from being held in the Nazi concentration camps.
If we can determine that there is a "why", a purpose or a meaning for each experience, then that realized purpose, that "why", can sustain you through almost any experience of, "how can I possibly get through this?".
As far as a life purpose, or the "meaning" of your life, Victor Frankl gave this analogy. A life is like a story, or a movie. Every movie has a meaning, but it's meaning cannot be entirely known or understood until it has fully played out.
To know the full meaning or purpose of one's life, or even of a life circumstance or season, before it is through is not possible. The purpose of a life or a season, like a movie, is understood fully by looking back in hindsight.
In our current situations, of foresight, it's only possible to recognize that there is meaning. To see glimpses and hopes of what those meanings and purposes are. To have faith that there is a "why".
The meaning for any person's life, season, or any experience cannot be defined by anyone else. Only the one in the experience. Each person must determine their own "why" for every circumstance. Even if God tells you the "why", it is still left to the individual to either believe it, or not.
One may conclude, about a certain experience, a season, or their life, that there is no meaning, it is all useless and futile. Another may sense there is purpose, and hold a conviction that there is a reason, and a plan for their experience. One sees life, or a season, as negative and meaningless. The other sees life, or a season, as having a positive purpose, with meaning.
These opposing perspectives bring me to a quote by Shakespeare, in the play, Hamlet.
"There is nothing either good or bad but thinking makes it so."
Nothing is really good or bad in itself—it’s all what a person thinks about it. It's in how you perceive the situation, your circumstance, your season, or your life.
Now this statement of "nothing is either good or bad" has potential to stir up lifelong debate. However, although it is not pure holy doctrine, let's view some biblical scenarios and see how this quote may apply.
- Was it good or bad that Joseph's brothers sold him as a slave? (Which put him in a position to later save Israel and his brothers from famine?)
- Was it good or bad that Moses killed a man and fled Egypt? (Where he later met God at the burning bush - then went back to save the entire nation of Israel)
- Was it good or bad that Rahab was a prostitute? (The one who hid the 2 Israel spies. The woman of faith mentioned in Hebrews)
- Was it good or bad that Jesus was crucified?
- Was it good or bad that Paul was arrested and beaten, several times?
- Was it good or bad when Paul and the Roman soldiers shipwrecked and landed on the island of Malta?
We too quickly, and unwisely, judge our circumstances, other people, seasons of our lives, or our lives as a whole; labeling them either, "good or bad, negative or positive - this has purpose or meaning, and this does not".
Many biblical scenarios appeared tragic, until the entire story played out. Suddenly from tragedy, despair and what seemed meaningless, there is seen hope, life, purpose and meaning.
Don't judge too soon. You have purpose. Every struggle you experience, each of your days has a purpose. Your life has meaning. You have meaning and purpose. Choose to believe. Hold onto hope, the story isn't over yet.
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