The Purpose Of Life

A friend asked me this week if I'd blogged about finding my purpose.

I once read the book Purpose-Driven Life by Rick Warren. You'll find it an especially good read if you're Christian. It's meaningfully touched thousands and thousands who've tried it.

I think that the idea of purpose is subjective, meaning that if you ask several people you'll get several answers. Who determines our purpose? Ourselves? Or something bigger than ourselves?

I could say that my purpose it what I choose it to be. My destiny is in my hands. My purpose is by definition the end results that flow from the series of actions that I take between now and my last breath.

I could say instead that my purpose is known by my creator. That I was made thoughtfully and deliberately, with a palette of intentionally bestowed gifts, to be used to make a specific difference in the world. That I am called to discover that purpose and pour myself into it completely.

If it's true that we have a singular purpose, just like we have a singular time of death, I wonder if it is something that we really do want to know? Part of the adventure of life is the exploration, the journey. Many of my friends and family have changed jobs multiple times. I'm doing things today that I didn't dream of ten years ago.

Do I regret how I've spent my time? Has it been wasted at all? Would I be making the most of my life to find my best path and follow it?

I've come to believe that when I look back at my life, what I would regret more than anything is to have spent it unhappily. For most of it, although I've made big mistakes, I've done what I enjoyed.

I do think of God like a gardener, and us as flowers:

http://joemcdonald.blogspot.com/2010/08/gardener.html

Flowers grow best in the soil that's richest for them. "Perfect soil" is different for different flowers. The longer I live, the better I get at recognizing the soil that's best for me. Because I study myself, this body that God gave me.

What can you do energetically, with hours seeming like minutes?
What moments have brought tears of joy to your eyes?
What plans make it easy for you to get out of bed in the morning?

Whatever the answer is, do that.
Whatever strays from that answer, steer away.

That's what I think is a good purpose.