The Purpose Puzzle预览

A quick Google search on the phrase “What is my purpose?” will yield 1,920,000,000 results in 0.52 seconds. If only it took that little time to visit all of those websites. I’m not a rocket scientist but that tells me a LOT of people are in the same boat with us (I hope it’s a big boat). So with that many resources, why bother adding another one?

Fair question!

If you’re in this reading plan, that could indicate you have a lingering concern of not wanting to waste the life God has given you. Our lives were not created to be wasted or squandered away. God created us as unique individuals with an inner wiring to relate to Him in a personal manner. How we choose to live each day and leverage our unique gifts, abilities, and relationships, helps us move toward living life to the fullest with direction and purpose. If God has a plan for us, the last thing we want to do is miss it all together.

For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. (Ephesians 2:10)

Something I’ve discovered about God’s plan for our lives is it’s not an isolated plan. It’s wrapped in a series of smaller plans that help us grow and build toward something we never expected. One way I like to frame this concept is to consider a set of Russian Stacking Dolls. You may know what I’m referring to, just not what they are called. It’s a set of wooden figures, typically painted to represent ladies from Russia in classic Russian dress. What makes them unique is their shape and sizes. Each one is scaled so that each size fits inside the next size up. Beginning with the smallest one, you can stack them one inside the other, all the way to the largest one, which holds them all.

As you work through this plan, I want to use a metaphor to give you a visual hook on which to hang this strategy. Imagine the task of completing a puzzle. As with all puzzle projects, the best starting strategy is to find the four corners. The answer to the question, “What is my purpose in life?” has four key components we will use as our four corners. Once the corners are in place, we’ll define our edges with four guiding questions. The answers to these questions will help you to begin connecting various pieces together that will start to reveal a picture of the life you were designed to live. I call this the Purpose Puzzle.