What Am I Doing Here?

What Am I Doing Here?

While some people know exactly why they are living on the earth, there are some who have no idea why they were ever born. In the movie, It’s a Wonderful Life, things go from bad to worse for George Bailey in the first 30 minutes. The plot centers around his discovery of what life would’ve been without him. Like George, there are many reasons for your birth even though you may feel otherwise, and hopefully by the end of this blogpost, you’ll discover them too.

Here are 5 signs that you’re not fully living up to your purpose.

1. You’re living a sinful life. That is, you are choosing to live in disobedience to God. It was His motive from the beginning, His design innate in all of humanity that we live according to His purpose. That’s why, when in the garden, Adam and Eve knew they were naked and felt the need to hide after they had chosen to eat of the fruit God told them not to eat. God says in James 4:17, So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin. Sin will tell you that you have no purpose. Don’t live there. Move out!
2. You feel stuck in your current situation. Nobody is stuck. Unless you’re under lock and key in a prison somewhere, you’re not stuck. You may feel stuck when in reality, you’re in a cage with a door that’s fully open. It’s up to you to fly out. That’s the hard part. There’s a cost, and sometimes the cost to escape is too great, but stuck, you are not. I can say this from experience.
3. You have no joy. You simply exist from one day to the next. You’re not happy, but you’re not crying either.
4. You’re living an unfulfilling life. Like George Bailey, you are paying the bills by doing a job that you hate. Out of obligation or need, instead of doing something you enjoy doing, you give in to the grind rather than exploring new avenues that highlight your gifts and talents.
5. You have no course. You have no direction, no goals, no excitement or enthusiasm. You’re like a wave on the sea being tossed around by the wind.

Now what? Once you decide that you’ve just got to live differently or you’ll go crazy, here are a few ways to get there:

1. Pray. In all sincerity, ask God to first, forgive you for sinning and then to show you what He wants you to do. Ask for WUDI. Wisdom, understanding, discernment, and insight into His purpose for you and expect Him to give you these things. Believe me, He will.
2. Open up your Bible. Specifically, the New Testament, and read the entire book of John. Matthew, Mark, and Luke are certainly good as well, but the point is to read about Jesus. He was the perfect example of how to accomplish one’s purpose.
3. Discover your gifts and talents. It’s exhilarating when you actually use your God-given gifts and talents. God’s purpose for you probably includes doing something with which you’re gifted. If you’re an artist, you probably wouldn’t enjoy sitting behind a desk calculating numbers all day.
4. Determine what makes your heart beat faster. Not in an unhealthy way, of course. In other words, what gets you up in the morning? What can’t you wait to begin doing? What are you passionate about? When you answer these questions, you’re on your way!
5. Get Busy. You’ve got to get started. No more excuses. No more sitting there unhappy and unfulfilled. Investigate. There is a ton of information online about what you love to do. Get some direction from other people you trust, from people who know the real you. The point is to begin.