Life On Purpose

Lately God has been prodding me to live life more intentionally, especially as it relates to the gifts of both time and ability.  Do you ever have those days where you have been busy all day long, and yet at the end of the day you wonder, "What did I really do today?"   Because my work outside the home is part-time, I've had these thoughts particularly on the days when I am not going into work.  I LOVE those days!  I thoroughly enjoy being able to work at home and attend to the needs of my family and our home.  Sometimes though the absence of structure on some of those days leaves me meandering throughout the day from one thing to the next seemingly without a clear sense of  purpose.  String a bunch of those days together and the result leaves me wondering about what I am actually accomplishing in life.  Am I being purposeful about the gift of each day?  Do my daily activities coincide with the overall goals that I have for my life?  After all, it is helpful to remember that ultimately life is comprised of what we do day after day after day.

Sometimes it seems as though my days are shaped by whatever seems to be most pressing.  Appointments, errands, grocery shopping, laundry, piano lessons, family gatherings, ministry opportunities, and responsibilities at work consumes most of my waking hours.  Some of these things are delightful, and some of them are simply the stuff of life that needs to be done to take care of my family's needs.  I have found it helpful of late to examine my daily actions to discover how they connect to the bigger picture of my life.  Then I can also purpose to remove any extraneous actions that don't contribute to my or my family's overall well being or my God given calling in life in order to best serve God and his greater purposes for my life. 

Being purposeful not only relates to the way I spend my time, but also the way I spend my energy.  What gifts has God given me, spiritually or otherwise?  Recently, God has revealed to me that I have the spiritual gift of encouragement.  At first, I thought that seemed to be a rather meager gift, and I wondered if perhaps there might be additional gifts that I might have that could be of greater use in God's grander scheme of things.  I discovered, however, as I have reviewed my life and my recent experiences, that encouraging others seems to come very naturally to me, and that a lot of the time I do it without even being intentional about it.  It just seems to flow out of me.  The other amazing thing about that gift is that not only does it serve to strengthen and build up others, but it is life giving to me as well.  Every time I encourage others, I experience divine energy that flows through me like a river of life.  I guess that might of been what Jesus was talking about when he said in John 7:38, "Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him."  It is immensely satisfying to be in sync with the work of God's Spirit in life.  It is then that the work is truly God's and not ours, and therefore the results are extraordinary! 

These realizations, especially in regards to my spiritual gifts, have served to provide me with a very practical frame of reference from which I can decide how I can best use what God has placed in me to serve others. 

So, what about you?  I know that God has given each of us gifts and abilities that are meant to serve others, but also give us a sense of deep fulfillment.  What are your gifts?  What are things that you LOVE to do that benefit others but also bring you joy? 

Take a minute and share your thoughts!