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Purpose

The word purpose has been mulling around my mind for a while. It's a lofty word. Purpose. The word means, "The reason for which something is done or created or for which something exists." One of the most important acknowledgements in life is to realize that you were created and you were created for a purpose. The biggest lie the idea of evolution promotes is that we are all happenstance. No, we were created and we were created for purpose.

I think we all inherently know this. We grapple with what our purpose is in life, especially when we are young trying to figure out what career path we should take. I even hear those in middle age and beyond wonder about their purpose. It's a good question. I once heard a preacher say that the thing you wanted to be when you were young, when you were 5, 6, 7, years old, before the cares and doubts of the world started taking root, is your purpose.

For me, I remember playing restaurant when I was little. I remember the summer I was 8 years old. I would get up, make myself the "nutritional breakfast" that was shown on the back of the cereal box complete with cereal, orange juice, and eggs and pretend I was eating at a restaurant. When I was 9, my sister, Joni, and her future husband, Tom, took me out to eat at a “real restaurant”, one you didn’t order off the board. They were amazed I ordered and appetizer, entrée, salad, 2 sides, and dessert- I wanted the experience. My most memorable childhood gifts were the plastic grocery items and the picnic basket filled with toy food items. Heck, my favorite Halloween costume growing up was the Apple Jack cereal box costume my sister Jami made me when I w


as in 5th grade. Food, even in play, has been my gig.

When I became a teenager, the dream that seemed unreachable was one day owning a restaurant in my house. Just the idea of creating and serving food to folks in a comfortable homey atmosphere tripped my trigger. I would drive by houses and say, "I would like to buy that and live there and have my restaurant." As an adult, I even enjoyed grocery shopping (I never have liked putting away groceries, though), and perusing food magazines, recipe books, and trying new recipes. Entertainment to me has always been going out to a new restaurant to be inspired by some new dish, decor, or get insight into the whole restaurant operation. I am through and through a foodie. And it wasn't until I was in my 40s before I realized that food was my purpose- making it and serving it.

Something so simple. Something right in front of my nose. Something I have always loved. Something everyone needs. Something everyone loves. That was my purpose. Why did it take so long to discover my purpose? Because the cares and doubts of the world blinded my vision.

There is no doubt in my mind that everyone of us has a purpose. And truth be told, it's probably pretty simple. In Christian circles, we have bought into this idea that our purpose has to be lofty, that the Hallelujah Chorus needs to ring out when we hit upon it. But in reality, God is found in the simple and the mundane. You don't have to preach, sing, or go into the mission field to fulfill your calling in life. You just need to live life fulfilling the purpose for which you were created. That's it. It may be cooking. It may be driving truck. It may be caring for kiddos. It may be sewing. It may be law enforcement. It may be in the medical field. It may be teaching. It may be cleaning. It may be assembling what the world needs. Whatever God has purposed you for, that can be not only your vocation, but also your ministry. It's how you serve others. That’s how you feed your own soul. That’s how you live life with purpose. I think one of the beauties of purpose is that it is simple. The trick is to cut through the noise, the lies, and find it. My sincere hope is that everyone finds their purpose and then follows it with abandon.



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