live with purpose

Who am I and why am I here? Those are the two most important questions you can ask yourself.

Question 1: Who am I?

Some say you are the product of a bit of slime that came out of a prehistoric swamp and evolved from this to that, then something else until one day, some fifty million years later, “YOU” appeared. That’s the good news. The bad news is that after fifty million years of evolution, you’re only allowed to use seven or eight decades until someone puts you back in the swamp you supposedly came from. What a great deal!

Others are of the opinion that you are the reincarnation of some poor bastard who fought in the Peloponnesian Wars or served in the courts of King Arthur only to die and then return in the 21st century as “YOU”. It sounds depressing to me because it means that after you die you could show up again on this little planet as a cow, a crow, or the great-great-grandson of some robber baron in Pakistan.

Then there are those who think you didn’t come from nowhere and go back to the same place you came from. They assume that you are either a winner or a loser in life’s ruthless, unpredictable, unregulated lotteries and have no particular control over what happens. And when it’s all over, well, it’s all over, so it doesn’t much matter what you do in the meantime. Do what you want.

Who you are, I think, is so much more than any of these or other bland and uninspiring answers to Question 1. It makes more sense to me that you and I are exactly what we appear to be: intricately designed individuals specially created with the seal of eternity in our souls and a longing for God in our hearts. That is a scenario that calls us to be better than ever and become citizens as valuable and useful as we can be.

Question 2: Why am I here?

You are here, not to collect dust or take up space. You are here, not to collect things or accumulate wealth. You are here to do something worthwhile, to bring light to a dark corner, to lift a fallen guy, to lift a disheartened soul, to heal a wound, right a wrong, fix what is broken, or wash away what is broken. it’s dirty.

You and I are here for a purpose. We’re here to do more than mind-numbing, mindless, repetitive activities often forced on us by our parents, peers, or employers. So, for God’s sake, don’t just stand there, do something worthwhile! Fulfill your personal mission.

The first step out of the mud is realizing who you are: a special creation of Almighty God, and then discovering the important purpose for which you were born.

Don’t be afraid of these two big questions. Find answers, claim your inheritance, declare your usefulness, and you’ll be out of the mud in no time!

For more information on finding your purpose in life, I recommend “The Purpose Driven Life: What Am I Here On Earth For?” by Rick Warren.

By Dr. Ron Ross