The Lifelong Commitment to Renewing Our Purpose
The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands. (Psalm 138:8)
Having a purpose is vital to a meaningful life. When I was in high school, you could tell who would have a successful next stage of life. It wasn't who had the best grades, who had the parents with the most money, or even those who were accepted to college. Instead, young people with dreams and specific goals would most likely be productive and find fulfillment moving forward. Those young people who expected everything to fall into place for them without intentional investment of time and energy were often left behind.
Having a purpose isn't just an issue for graduating high school seniors. Determining one's purpose is essential at each stage in a person's life. Even retirement requires dreams, goals, and planning. In the article "Purpose Is Lifelong," Thomas Oppong offers, "Purpose is an enigma. It's a driving force, the reason for being, but there's no grand revelation at the end of the road. Purpose evolves." While perseverance is essential throughout life, our purpose changes at each stage of life.
We should regularly focus on our purpose to avoid despair along life's journey. Then, if (when) unforeseen hardship occurs, we are already moving forward with our transition. Life is rarely linear. Talk to any older people, and they will tell you of plans made, hardships overcome, and dreams fulfilled. Life follows a winding road with many ups and downs. Our purpose is like a compass, guiding us when circumstances cause us to lose our way. The key to a purpose-filled, according to Oppong, is the ability to "Stay fluid and adaptable."
Fluidity remains possible, even amid hardship, when we have a clear purpose and understand what we value. When faith is the primary value, we can address hardships without shame. When our purpose is honoring God, we do not determine our worth by personal success but by working with the Holy Spirit to fulfill our purpose. Many people have early success early, but then try to live off that one success throughout life. It is much better to honor one success and reflect on your next step in a new process of making a meaningful difference in God's name. We are not worthy of selfish ambition, but we deserve God's care and guidance toward a meaningful life in line with God's purposes.