Recently, I’ve had the awe-inspiring experience (compliments of Pastor Tim Griffin) of listening to an amazing woman of God by the name of Sister Rosemary Nyirumbe. She powerfully described her benevolent commitment to protecting and restoring the lives of over 400 Ugandan women who escaped the clutches of human sex trafficking.
As each powerful story was presented, I found every listener in the room (including myself) riveted to her every word. My eyes became moist as she declared, “I am helping to restore the image of God in them.” Intermittently glancing at the engrossed GCU faculty, staff and students, I remember thinking, “Here’s a person who is living out her purpose!”
Now that’s something to ponder for moment. What is my purpose?
Jesus Christ asserted His purpose in John 10:10 when he declared that He had come to give humanity an abundant life. Steve Jobs identified his audacious goal in life when he said that he wanted to “make a ding in the universe.” Through his successes with Apple, Inc., many people can argue that he did just that.
What about you and me? There’s a reason behind every breath we breathe. Wouldn’t it be great to discover that wave and ride it to your destiny? Once it is discovered, it becomes a compass for your daily behaviors, goals and decisions. Thankfully, there are institutions like Grand Canyon University that have a core business to help students (even employees) identify this gift called “purpose.”
How do you know you’re on the right track? Without a doubt, prayer is great starting point. Wouldn’t your Creator know why you were called into being? I’m not sure if you know this – but you’re no accident. Jerimiah 29:11 says, “‘For I know the plans and thoughts that I have for you,’ says the Lord, ‘plans for peace and well-being and not for disaster to give you a future and a hope.’” It’s this very vision that helps drive Sister Rosemary Nyirumbe’s ministry, even to the point of willfully facing the danger of Northern Ugandan rebels to see lives changed.
In addition to prayer and seeking God, I would like to leave a few practical ways to help you discover your purpose: