Purpose

"The man without a purpose is like a ship without a rudder—a waif, a nothing, a no man." --Thomas Carlyle
"You, Lord, give perfect peace to those who keep their purpose firm and put their trust in You." --Isaiah 26:3

I believe that every man's purpose is to know and love God, most evidently through God the Son, Jesus Christ. Along these lines, JH Ranch teaches the G.O.D Purpose: a Heart of Gratitude, a Soul of Obedience, and a Mind of Dependence. And I agree with this; in my 4 summers of involvement with the Ranch, I haven't heard any better acrostic, no better summary to teach about one's God-gifted purpose. I do not argue with the truth of Ranch wisdom, but the reality is that a child of God's purpose is not merely an insightful acrostic or well-phrased summary. It is more than that; infinitely individual as well as ultimately universal. Stating that our purpose is to know and love God is blessedly accurate, but is simplified. One's call, one's purpose, is intimate, personal, and individual; the basic, general, and unshakeable truth of the G.O.D. Purpose is a frame in which the Father builds each masterpiece, the clay on which God breathes His animating breath, the lens through which God focuses an individual beam of light. I think Oswald Chambers says this more vividly than I can: "the call of God can never be stated explicitly; it is implicit. The call of God is like the call of the sea, no one hears it but the one who has the nature of the sea in him. It cannot be stated definitely what the call of God is to, because His call is to be in comradeship with Himself for His own purposes." Like the call of the sea, God's call on a life is specific to that life.

I think most everyone mulls long hours about what his or her purpose is. With my brooding Celtic streak, I've probably done this more than most…too much, in some regards. For to some degree we are not meant to illuminate clearly our purpose through careful introspection, but rather trust that God will reveal it in and through us as we grow closer in our walk with Him. We are meant to follow, not to understand. However, I think God places desires (and abilities) in our hearts for very specific reasons, and discovering their purpose is somewhere between a quest, an adventure, and a lesson.

So what clues are there to the purposes God has crafted for me? What sort of man does He want me to be? I feel that career is only a small part of this, but a good enough place to start. I've never been sold on any career; as a small boy, I wanted to be a zoologist, but only because of my love for animals, not due to any specifics of what a zoologist does. I've been drawn to literature, international relations, history, biology, physics, and considered careers in law, teaching, ministry, missions, writing, and several other potential callings. But the problem is, I don't think I'm made for any clear-cut occupation. I see this by looking at individuals I admire; take CS Lewis for example. He's a professor and a writer, two things I could imagine myself pursuing, and what he does is clearly for the glory of God. Nonetheless…there are things missing from his life that would be felt keenly by my heart. The sailing of Lewis's friend Sheldon Vanauken, for example; weeks and months out on the open waves, with wind a lifeline and a threat. That quasi-nomadic existence, wandering and yet always at home with his soul-mate, bound by no schedule but God's…Lewis's scholarly life would restrict me beyond expression. Steve Irwin—what a perfect avatar of my love for animals. Traveling to places near and distant, teaching while learning, working side by side with his wife—and for a short time, his daughter—and taking seriously the stewardship of Creation. And yet, for all my empathetic appreciation for the natural world, I am not quite a tree-hugger (not to imply Steve Irwin was): though I cannot refute the value of animals and plants alike, I have no desire to ignore the superior value of God's image-bearers and sub-creators. I could not ignore the desperate plights of the poverty-stricken and affluent both; the need for God and human love throughout every land. I could not give my life almost exclusively to animals, and would not seek to. Purpose is never found in career, but it must be mentioned that career should never impede purpose. My purpose is something that takes advantage of the diverse values and affinities God built into my heart; this is of course true for anyone.

There are other individuals whose lives I admire, both living and dead, but I know that the only life I should model myself after is Christ's. And yet, that is mostly on a spiritual, moral, emotional, and relational level: we are not called to all express Christ by fitting into a specific practical mold. Still, following Christ is the key, as always. We discover our purpose by surrendering completely to God, giving up even our desires and hopes for the future, and find that those desires and hopes were only very rough drafts for the fulfilled purpose of one's life. I think that is part of what is meant by: "Whoever tries to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it." Still, I think that the desires within our hearts are at least a good hint of what God wants us to do with our lives—the signposts on the path of our personal walk with the Heavenly Father. After all, the Christian has this truth: "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws." (Ezekiel 36:26-27) Once freed from the bondage to sin, he is freed to follow his heart. What remains is to discern what that entails.