Believe it or not, our lives do have purpose.
Even though we are sinful and weak in the sight of God’s glory, we still can serve a greater good. We can help other people be reconciled with God by living out a righteous life by example and sharing the Gospel.
Each person is made unique from the other, so each of us has the potential to serve in different ways. We just have to discover our purpose for serving.
We can find help discovering our purpose, and we don’t have to do it all on our own or in vain. We have help.
Once we become reconciled with God, he gives us resources to help serve. He sent his Holy Spirit here to offer us spiritual gifts, such as these: faith, discernment of good and evil, prophesy, teaching, leadership and generosity (Romans 12:3-8).
Jesus called the Holy Spirit our friend, so we can confidently surrender ourselves to him (John 14:15-26). When you allow the Holy Spirit to fulfill your purpose, it can be a beautiful thing. You can see real results by the works of your faith.
By trusting the Spirit, you can foster beautiful things, such as love, joy, peace and kindness (Galatians 5:16-26). Believe it or not, these things you allow the Spirit to bring out of you not only affect your life but others around you.
I know several people who trust the Spirit to lead their lives to help people’s faith.
One of my friends is very gifted. However, for some reason he got turned by Ivy League schools. He’s currently attending the University to someday be a music teacher for children who require special needs.
One colleague is going to use her spiritual gifts in her nursing career.
Another is going to be a teacher as well, and she’s writing a book. I’m not very good at reading advanced, well-written writing, but I’d love to read her book someday.
Another friend wants to integrate his generosity for people when he works for a U.S. embassy someday. I hope he sends me a post card.
One of my roommates is going to be a math teacher. His gifts are patience, calmness and willingness to listen to people who are hurt. I’m sure many high school students will appreciate his help someday.
I currently still have a working idea of what my story will be.
I’ve been in dark places in my life – possibly since the onset of adolescence. It’s gotten a lot darker recently.
Since then, I’ve been in a brutal battle with myself internally. I have periods of depression. Some nights are restless, and ironically sleep has been my only relief.
I climb over mountains and fall head-long into deep valleys. It seems like every time I make a substantial step forward, an event or thought causes me to fall back down hard. This vicious cycle drives me crazy and the feeling sucks.
In some moments, I’ve allowed this darkness to damage my faith as well as my relationships and interactions with people I care about. I’ve felt embarrassed and lost confidence in myself because of this.
Often times I’ve lost my passion for writing because of negative thoughts every day. Yet, in the middle of my ongoing internal battle, I still find motivation to keep going.
I’ve risked my future career and reputation with sharing pieces of my personal life in the past year. At times, I’ve laid it on the line, but people actually find inspiration in my words. It is humbling to see people show concern and enjoyment for me in this way.
In the end, I’m always thankful God has given me the opportunity to use my gift of the golden pen.
Whenever I get out of this darkness, I want to help other at-risk young adults going through similar torment. Maybe that will come by way of a book. Or something else. Who knows?
When I finally meet God in the next life, I want to hear him tenderly say, as my friend also envisioned, “Very well, my faithful and kind servant.”
Make this thought your goal.
Respond to Phillip at
