Purpose. Every person searches for it during their lifetime.
Purpose can be defined as the aim or goal of a person; what a person is trying to do, become, etc. Everybody desires to have a purpose, a reason for being. People search for it in different places.
The Japanese use a term "ikigai", a concept meaning "a reason for being". It usually requires a lengthy search of oneself and the discovery of such brings satisfaction. Examples of this include work, hobbies, fame, and raising children. It is used to indicate the source of value in one's life or to the mental and spiritual circumstances where people feel their lives are valuable. It does not need to be linked to economic status or what society is like currently.
In the culture of Okinawa, it is thought of as "a reason to get up in the morning"; that is, a reason to enjoy life.
What gets you up in the morning? What do you enjoy about life? It can be defined as what are you passionate about and what drives you onward. Or, your mission in life.
For some people it can be family and friends. Others it can be fame and fortune. Still others, it could be a hobby or vocation. Even a goal whether physical, financial, or spiritual. Different purposes for different people. Limited only by our imaginations and/or physical abilities.
Even as Christians, we continue to strive to find our purposes here. Can even refer to them as callings. Preaching, missions work, serving the poor, etc. Just like anyone else, we can spend our lives searching for meaning. Even believers. Wondering to what and where God is calling us to. Where best to effectively use our gifts and prosper in the Kingdom.
An even bigger question is what is God's purpose for your life. What are His plans for you and your future.
Jeremiah 29:11 states "For I know the plans I have for you' declares the Lord, 'plans to give you hope and a future" God has designed us with a purpose of being. A godly Ikigai so to speak.
This then begs the question. Wouldn't then our purpose be the same as God's? That we glean from God - His plans for us and then proceed to follow? Therefore, God provides us with a purpose for our existence.
This can be a wide variety of things. God has blessed us with a myriad of gifts and passions. Each unique for each person. Yet, all of which, working together in God's plans. Think of all the people you go to church with. You are all believers in the same God, yet we are all different in our gifts, background, and worldviews. Still, God takes all of these various parts and unites them into a common purpose.
"For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do" Ephesians 2:10.
There is our ikigai. We don't do good works to attain salvation, but rather as a response to it. The other good news is that it states that God has prepared in advance. So, even though we are called to good works, God has already laid the groundwork. This means we are not alone in all of this. This allows us to risk where we don't see the end result obviously. Knowing God has prepared the road ahead gives us courage and a sense of purpose.
Purpose. Something we all search for. God reveals it to us as he prepares us for the journey.
Purpose can be defined as the aim or goal of a person; what a person is trying to do, become, etc. Everybody desires to have a purpose, a reason for being. People search for it in different places.
The Japanese use a term "ikigai", a concept meaning "a reason for being". It usually requires a lengthy search of oneself and the discovery of such brings satisfaction. Examples of this include work, hobbies, fame, and raising children. It is used to indicate the source of value in one's life or to the mental and spiritual circumstances where people feel their lives are valuable. It does not need to be linked to economic status or what society is like currently.
In the culture of Okinawa, it is thought of as "a reason to get up in the morning"; that is, a reason to enjoy life.
What gets you up in the morning? What do you enjoy about life? It can be defined as what are you passionate about and what drives you onward. Or, your mission in life.
For some people it can be family and friends. Others it can be fame and fortune. Still others, it could be a hobby or vocation. Even a goal whether physical, financial, or spiritual. Different purposes for different people. Limited only by our imaginations and/or physical abilities.
Even as Christians, we continue to strive to find our purposes here. Can even refer to them as callings. Preaching, missions work, serving the poor, etc. Just like anyone else, we can spend our lives searching for meaning. Even believers. Wondering to what and where God is calling us to. Where best to effectively use our gifts and prosper in the Kingdom.
An even bigger question is what is God's purpose for your life. What are His plans for you and your future.
Jeremiah 29:11 states "For I know the plans I have for you' declares the Lord, 'plans to give you hope and a future" God has designed us with a purpose of being. A godly Ikigai so to speak.
This then begs the question. Wouldn't then our purpose be the same as God's? That we glean from God - His plans for us and then proceed to follow? Therefore, God provides us with a purpose for our existence.
This can be a wide variety of things. God has blessed us with a myriad of gifts and passions. Each unique for each person. Yet, all of which, working together in God's plans. Think of all the people you go to church with. You are all believers in the same God, yet we are all different in our gifts, background, and worldviews. Still, God takes all of these various parts and unites them into a common purpose.
"For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do" Ephesians 2:10.
There is our ikigai. We don't do good works to attain salvation, but rather as a response to it. The other good news is that it states that God has prepared in advance. So, even though we are called to good works, God has already laid the groundwork. This means we are not alone in all of this. This allows us to risk where we don't see the end result obviously. Knowing God has prepared the road ahead gives us courage and a sense of purpose.
Purpose. Something we all search for. God reveals it to us as he prepares us for the journey.
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