What Am I Here For?

If you have not read Rick Warren’s book, “The Purpose Driven Life,” you should. I read it three years ago….and it is still haunting me. Every day I look to see if my life has purpose….I know from my reading of this book that my life should be purpose driven but often it is not. Sometimes my life is circumstance driven and it is when it is in that mode that I do not function well. Many times I ask myself…Just why am I here? What is my purpose? What is the true meaning of life? What is the true meaning of MY life? It seems when I ask these questions that I am in the All About Me Mode…..and to be honest…I am. But let me tell you (and myself) It's not about me. It is all about God….and a person’s life cannot be truly successful unless he/she knows his/her purpose in life. Col 1:16 tells us that-“ For by Him were all things created, that are in heaven and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones or dominions, or principalities or powers; all things were created by Him and for Him.” Hello…should that not send up a big red flag? I mean come on….it firmly states that I was made by God for God. I was made for His purposes…..because He never creates anything without a purpose. So I am back asking myself….”How do I discover said purpose?” I believe there are two ways…the hard way….without God…and the easy way….with God. Have you ever asked God…..”What on earth have you put me here for?’ I have…and I am sure he probably laughed his head off….God wove a tapestry…..and I am in it. I am not an accident…..I was planned….and I am loved….by God. Carole King (one of my favorite singers did a song in the early 70’s called “Tapestry) and it fits my thoughts so well today that I had to share the lyrics with you:

My life has been a tapestry of rich and royal hue

An everlasting vision of the ever-changing view

A wondrous woven magic in bits of blue and gold

A tapestry to feel and see, impossible to hold

Once amid the soft silver sadness in the sky

There came a man of fortune, a drifter passing by

He wore a torn and tattered cloth around his leathered hide

And a coat of many colors, yellow-green on either side

He moved with some uncertainty, as if he didn't know

Just what he was there for, or where he ought to go

Once he reached for something golden hanging from a tree

And his hand come down empty

Soon within my tapestry along the rutted road

He sat down on a river rock and turned into a toad

It seemed that he had fallen into someone's wicked spell

And I wept to see him suffer, though I didn't know him well

As I watched in sorrow, there suddenly appeared

A figure gray and ghostly beneath a flowing beard

In times of deepest darkness, I've seen him dressed in black

Now my tapestry's unraveling; he's come to take me back

He's come to take me back.

The lyrics of this song tell me that my life is a test, a trust and a temporary assignment. God test my faith , love, obedience, and character every day. One day He will come to take me back….and on that day He is going to ask me "Karen, what have you done with what I gave you?" I shiver in my boots when I think on how I will answer that question….some days I will be able to look Him in the eye and proudly tell Him what I have done….other days I am ashamed to say….I will answer Him with my head looking downward out of shame. I must remind myself daily that life is preparation for eternity. So if life is preparation….then how can I fulfill God's purposes and bring glory to God? I understand from bible studies and Sunday School, and church that if I fulfill God's purposes on earth I will share in the bounty of heaven one day. I have to remind myself daily that a life without meaning is wasted. I truly believe that I was made to bring pleasure to God in worship. From the first moment I stepped in a choir loft to sing God’s praises….whether it be a chancel choir….singing traditional music….or the Arbor singing contemporary songs….I am loving my God with every lyric, note, movement to the max. When I sing on Sunday’s….it is a case of total surrender to me….for a brief shining moment….I totally abandon myself into His arms….worship for me…..is a lifestyle. If I could only do one thing in my life…..it would be worship. When I go to church on Sunday….or Weds….or whatever day….it is my safety zone ….and a place where I can find God….when I can’t seem to find Him anywhere else. I am refreshed here….I am revived here….I am renewed here….I am alive! It is the place I can escape the trials of the world….hummm….I am missing something here….God is with me always….so I need to just relax…and trust God to be there…..You know….when I became a Christian….it happened in the blink of an eye…..but it has taken me the rest of my life to strive to be Christ-like….So….with that in mind….I am asking God to make me useable…an effective character…..that effectively serves….useable….that is what I want to be when I grow up. Happy Thursday to All!