Soul Charge
Puzzle of Your Purposes
If you grew up in a positive environment, you probably grew up being told that you can be anything you want. The truth is we can’t be anything that we want to be. But we can be all that God would have us to be. God has a purpose for each of us. And as we go through life, it is up to us to figure out what that purpose is. Ephesians 2:10 states, “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
Notice the scripture says “works” with an “s.” God doesn’t just have one purpose for life. Our purposes in life are like a million-piece puzzle. Every day we are alive, we get to examine pieces of the puzzle. The puzzle piece may be in the shape of a job, relationship, conversation, or lesson learned. Everything we hear, see, do, think, or feel is a piece of the puzzle (our purposes). It is up to us to find the pieces and put them together. Mark Twain stated, “The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.” The challenge is to discover the puzzle pieces that form your life’s purposes.
I have put together puzzles a few times only to discover missing pieces. But it is not like that with God. Psalm 138 reminds “The Lord will fulfill his purpose…”. Whether the puzzle is 50 or 3,000 pieces, all the pieces that make up our purpose(s) are there. But you have to put the pieces together. Start with the first piece (ask God to direct your paths) and then the next. Sometimes, the next piece will jump out at you (blessings). Sometimes, finding the next piece can take some time (patience). Sometimes, you will pick what looks like the correct piece, but no matter how many ways you try to make it work, it just doesn’t fit (your will). Sometimes, you will stumble across the exact piece of the puzzle you need, and it looks nothing like what you thought it should look like (God’s will). And sometimes, just when you feel like you are making great progress, you realize that some of the pieces need to be rearranged (God’s grace), and you have to keep searching (seeking God’s will).
Putting together a puzzle can be one of the most frustrating and one of the most exhilarating experiences. If you don’t give up, your time and effort will eventually start to produce the picture on the box (purpose). Do you have the will to keep working on the puzzle? Will you keep searching for the correct pieces? Are you willing to correct the misplaced pieces? Are you willing to accept that the pieces will not always look how you thought they would? And if you drop a few pieces, are you willing to bend down (pray) and pick them up?
The pieces to the puzzle of your purposes are all there. Don’t quit trying to be all God would have you to be.
