The following column is an opinion piece and reflects the views of only the author and not those of The Georgia Virtue.
By: Dr. William F. Holland Jr., minister, chaplain, and author of the column series ‘Living on Purpose’. You can read more about the Christian life and see other works by Dr. Holland at billyhollandministries.com.
When it comes to finding our place in this world, let’s consider two categories. The first one let’s call, floating down the river. Imagine someone napping in a small boat without a compass or a paddle and not caring about where they are going. Having a spectator mentality, they have no map or intentional direction but rather are just hoping for the best. It’s also common for these individuals to throw pity parties from time to time, as their happy-go-lucky lifestyle includes serious disappointments.
Often haunted with thoughts of being left behind, they are caught in a vicious cycle of confusion and discouragement. As a Christian counselor, I’ve had conversations with those who are stuck in this drifting mindset and certainly have compassion for them, but we all have to do our share of searching and praying. No doubt it’s extremely difficult to know our calling, but it does not help the situation by living in denial and blaming everyone else for our problems.
It’s always scary to move out of our comfort zone and face reality because sometimes life can seem like a huge mountain that’s impossible to climb. If you’ve ever tried to help someone find their destiny, you understand when I say we cannot force anyone to do anything, and neither can we help those who are not willing to help themselves. In every area of life, those who desire a healthy state of being must see the truth about their circumstances and be willing to do something about it. Since God’s character and nature are based on divine order, we can agree there are no mandates or divine commissions for drifting aimlessly through life. The good news is that God is patiently waiting to help us whenever our passion to change becomes stronger than our excuses.
The second category includes those who realize that life is to be lived with a specific purpose. I believe that having Jesus Christ as the commander of our life is the meaning and reason for everything we do. As the author and finisher of our faith, God’s word reminds us that He’s drawn a specific one-of-a-kind blueprint for everyone’s life according to His perfect plans. It’s true, He rarely writes for example, “John Smith will be a plumber” on the wall, but the basic concept of the Christian life is to become aware of our calling and determined to accomplish it. This spiritual reality encourages and motivates us, but another aspect of this challenge is to realize we have certain conditions and responsibilities on our part in order for this vision to be manifested. It will require surrendering our will to Him. You see, with God being the Potter and us being the clay, it’s critical to accept the fact that we do not conveniently ask God to bless the dreams and ambitions of our own making, but rather we allow Him to transform us into what He wants us to be. Yes, it’s painful to yield control, however, this must happen if we want to have a genuine relationship with our maker. He desires to be more than a Savior, He demands to be our Lord.
Transforming our mind is not easy and anyone who advertises how wonderful it is to sacrifice, suffer and be uncomfortable, probably has a degree in marketing. There’s nothing wrong with learning how others have accomplished their goals, but even if we become experts on personal change, this does not automatically mean we will. Besides, beyond the motivational seminars and the achievement formulas that are available, like we said before, you are a unique individual and God has arranged a special path for you to take. Allow me to include, there is also no substitute for prayer and perseverance if we are to become all that Jesus died for us to be. Christians that have experienced even a modest amount of success had to not only discover their spiritual blueprint but demonstrated the value of hard work. Obedience requires faith and determination, but without allowing God to build us His way along with our complete cooperation, we will most likely never fulfill our true destiny. May we remember, the story of our life is being written and if we choose to follow God’s plans, we are already on the road to pleasing Him and will never be disappointed or ashamed.
