We all come to a point in our lives where we ask: “Why am I here?” Or “What is my purpose?”

Some of us find the answer, while others don’t because they don’t know where to look. 

Rick Warren begins his popular book The Purpose Driven Life, with the statement “it’s not about you”. Frankly, I think he is quite brave for starting out his book this way. After all, don’t we all think at some point or another that it IS about us?

I think so. But Warren believes our true purpose is greater than the fulfillment we want, the peace we seek or the relationships we have or want to have. He explains “you were born by [H]is purpose and for [H]is purpose.” So, if we want to find our true purpose we should start with God, not with ourselves.

This may be difficult for us to accept, but I think Mr. Warren is right. We can’t look within ourselves to discover our purpose because we don’t have all the answers. We must look to Someone greater than us, Someone who has all the answers.

After all He is the One who created us, so why wouldn’t He be able to show us what our true purpose in life is?  All we’ll have to do is ask Him, wait, and listen to hear His voice speaking to us and then do what He says.   

Some of us believe we are living out our true purpose, but still find that we are restless and unfulfilled. I don’t think this is how we would feel if we were living the life we were meant to live.

When we finally find our true purpose and start living it, our life is peaceful, fulfilled, and content, no matter how bad things may get. You see, living out our true purpose doesn’t involve just focusing on ourselves and what makes us happy. A large portion of this type of living focuses on helping others and adding value to their lives.

I know many of you may want to know how to tell if you are living out your true purpose. There are many ways to tell, but I am going to share one way that helped me figure out if I had been living out my purpose in life.

Answer the questions below with either a yes or a no. If you answer more than half of them with a yes, then I would say you are on your way toward living the life God wants you to live. 

• Do you set aside time every day to spend with God?
• Do you consistently live in the present, and not in the past or the future?
• Have you created a personal vision statement that includes helping others?
• Are you reading books, articles, attending seminars and conferences, and listening to podcasts that will help you become a better person?
• Do you place more value on people than on material things?
• Do you consistently maintain a positive attitude and avoid negative talk and/or negative behaviors?
• Do you take responsibility for your own mistakes and your circumstances instead of blaming others?
• Do you acknowledge your mistakes and quickly say, “I am sorry”?
• Do you NOT worry about the things you cannot change?
• Do you laugh at yourself sometimes because you don’t take yourself too seriously?
• Do you depend on God for your happiness?
• Are you truly fulfilled and at peace with where you are in life right now?

How did you do with the questions? Were you able to answer them with a resounding YES?

Or did you notice that there were some that you are still struggling with.  If you are, don’t worry. Finding our purpose in life takes time because it involves quite a bit of self-reflection, self-examination, praying, and listening carefully to what God is saying to us.

So, if you find that you are struggling to find what your true purpose in life is, let me offer a couple suggestions.

First, start by setting aside time to spend with God so you can hear His voice directing you to where He wants you to go and what He wants you to do.

Second, while you are listening to hear His voice, develop a plan of action that involves serving others.

Once you do these two things consistently you may find that your purpose will become clearer to you. 

Consider this. The life you are meant to live is not about you at all. It’s what you can do to help those you meet as you journey through life.

Remember, you are fearfully and wonderfully made!