Are you reimagining your purpose?
A pandemic has taken us all by surprise. It has sent us home, removed us from community activities and our daily patterns. Allow me to just put it plainly: it has utterly thrown us off, left us depressed at times, caused us to question God and our leaders, and launched us into a number of pity parties. Or is that just me?
The roots of our country have been pulled up and reveal centuries-old soil of injustice and prejudice. It has either sent us inward to confront personal sins or has sent us to board up more walls to self-protect. We don’t sell plywood here in this space, but we do extend grace to all of us who say I’m here to learn and listen and lament.
If you’ve been engaged on the blog for the past month, we’re reimagining what it looks like to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God (Micah 6:8) right where we live. This started with this blogpost here.
Your true purpose isn’t what you write or have planned.
It’s not found in your job or the job you want.
It’s not wrapped up in your bank account or all that you possess.
It’s not in who your kids become or what they avoid.
It’s not in the success of your product, book, business or ministry.
It’s not in the size of your congregation, social media account followers, email list.
So much has been stripped away from us. Yet, mysteriously, we still have purpose. So much has been stripped away from us. Yet, mysteriously, we still have purpose. I repeated on purpose! How can this be? Must be coming from something outside of us that enters and fills us!
When the job is lost or cut back or sent home, you still have purpose.
When the bank account shrinks and hangs in the balance, you still have purpose.
When parts of town or all of town is temporarily or permanently closed, you still have purpose.
When you don’t get to your plans today, you still have purpose.
When bad or disheartening news surprises you, you still have purpose.
As you reimagine your purpose, choose to stay.
We are not returning to what once was. If COVID-19 hasn’t convinced you of that, the fight for equality and justice for black America should. We’ve got to live differently. And if I may be so bold, if we do, we’re opening ourselves up for revival. If we don’t, we are shutting out the Spirit of God and His Kingdom to come.
“We have to change the way we are living. We need His plan, His Spirit, His direction, His shelter, His protection….Pursuing God takes us into the heart of our culture and community. Be found faithful where He’s at work.” (Love Where You Live)
This post is all about action. Not one action in particular. Just like I lead you in Love Where You Live and in this space, God wants to use your current season of life, the gifts and purpose He has given you, and the air He has breathed into you to lead in your communities.
There is no place on planet earth where you can go and escape the tension, the heartache, the pain that is inevitable for every human. So choose to stay if you possibly can. This will mean something different to you and to me. I’m trusting the Spirit to make this known to us all.
Spiritual restoration must precede social and political restoration.
Consider the following as we reimagine our purpose where we live:
Read the prophets. I’m reading Hosea, Amos, Habakkuk, and Micah.
Meditate on Romans 12:2 (VOICE) “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.”
Read the following chapters in the book, Love Where You Live, or go back over them:
Start to Stay
Quadrants
Circles
Hubs
Then do the work where you live.
“Proclaiming Jesus will lead to pushback. Not experiencing pushback? One of two things is happening. You are only surrounded by people who think like you. Or you aren’t having conversations about Christ.”
Every encounter you have today brings influence.
You are a captive and active people! Thank you for reading, engaging, and learning to love where God has sent you.
My friend and neighbor, Jennifer Holland, sees prayer and dwelling in San Francisco as a part of her purpose. She joins us next to share how her purpose is being reimagined as an intercessor!
So then, friend, how is your purpose being reimagined?