How to Unlock Life’s Purpose

Please don’t get me wrong.

This isn’t one of those posts that presumes to give you all the answers of how you should live your life. Quite frankly, that’s not my job.

But hopefully the post will make you pause long enough to at least give consideration to why you exist.

My goal is to share a process that has helped me in sifting through the layers of my hectic life to create a document that serves as a constant reminder of why I’m here.

Life’s Purpose – First Things First

As a believer in Jesus Christ as the Son of the Almighty God who created and loves us, I must first assert that apart from Him, finding your purpose on this planet will be very difficult. Why? Because as our Creator, God gifts us with talents, abilities, and personalities that make us uniquely who we are. And He did so for a reason. He has a plan for your life, and the puzzle pieces of life only make sense when we give Him His rightful place.

(If you’d like to learn more about knowing the Creator of the Universe intimately, please check out the Life Questions section of the sidebar. You are also welcome to contact me via the contact tab above.)

The Benefit of Creating a Life Mission Statement

Beyond question, the Bible is a compass for all of us. It serves as a life manual and road map, as well as a sword for battling the enemy of our souls.

But have you ever stopped to consider why God made you the way He did? Why He placed you where you are? What His specific purpose is for you and your life?

Some things, such as prayer, Bible study, and winning the lost are generic to all of us. But as mentioned above, God makes us all so uniquely different, He surely has varied purposes for each of His children.

By prayerfully creating your own personal mission statement document, you are first of all recognizing God as the One who gives your life purpose, but you are also providing clarity for future decision-making and goal-setting.

Life’s Purpose – Your S.H.A.P.E.

Rick Warren, pastor of Saddleback Church and author of the thought-provoking book The Purpose-Driven Life: What On Earth Am I Here For?, talks about our S.H.A.P.E. as the spiritual gifts, heart, abilities, personality, and experiences as indicators of our individual life purposes before and for God.

It is our spiritual responsibility to give serious thought to these things so we might be better stewards of these lives we’ve been given.

Life’s Purpose – Your Roles

Most of us wear multiple hats on any given day. Just as an example, I’m a child of God; the wife of a minister; a mother, daughter, Nana, sister, and friend; a teacher/writer (and all the career hats that come with that job description); homemaker; and mini-farmer. (Odd combination, I know… More proof that our Creator not only likes variety, but has a sense of humor!)

While some of your life roles might be like mine, you will have some that are very different. Take a minute to jot down your life roles, but stick to the primary ones. Honestly, if we add too many hats to our collection we won’t be effective wearing any of them. Just the few I mentioned above gobbles up my time.

Have them written down? Good. Now try listing them in order of importance, remembering the scriptural admonition to love God with all our being and to love others as we love ourselves (Luke 10:27).

Are you starting to see your life with a little more clarity?

God works through you in those roles He’s given. This is how you determine your life’s purpose.

SPECIAL NOTE: Some of our roles carry more responsibility at different seasons in our lives. When my children were small, my role as mother carried much more responsibility than it does now. You may be a mom with a young family whose God-given abilities in another area must take a less prominent position for now. That’s okay! Cherish your role as mother in full realization that these precious times are fleeting!

Life’s Purpose – A Mission Statement

I would highly encourage you–now that you’ve penned your roles in life–to take as long as necessary to pray over these roles and write down what you would consider to be a mission statement for your life.

I’m sharing my mission statement below as an example. I’ve had it for several years, but I pray over it and tweak it each year at the Spirit’s leading. While it has changed a little throughout the years, it’s so true to who I believe God made me to be, that for the most part, it has remained very much the same.

(NOTE: Mine is worded as a prayer, but please don’t feel like you must use the same format. It’s perfectly to fine to encapsulate yours into just one sentence if you’d prefer.)

Dear Lord, help me to ~

~ enthusiastically seize this day and its opportunities, for tomorrow may be too late.

~ gratefully accept and celebrate this day and all it brings as a gift and adventure from Your hand, and to intentionally live it with obedience, discipline, courage, integrity, and balance.

~ live in the here and now with contentment, peace, and joy, because the past is behind, You are here, and the future is in Your hands.

~ treasure my family and friends with the knowledge that they bring so much joy to my life and that You’ve put them in my life for a reason.

~ be salt and light to all who cross my path, by passing on to them the gift of grace You’ve lavished on me.

~ make my home a haven for all who pass this way.

~ keep my mind, body, and spirit strong, so I can better serve You.

~ faithfully use and humbly teach others the treasures, abilities, and gifts You’ve entrusted to me.

~ make a positive impact before this pilgrimage leads me home.

~ live simply, but profoundly.

~ practice Your presence continually.

~ guard my heart.

~ listen for, hear, and obey only Your voice.

~ most importantly, know You and make You known. 

Closing Thoughts

I highly encourage you to not only write or type out your mission statement, but to also put it in a place where you can refer to it regularly. Hopefully this post has been helpful to you in nailing down your life’s purpose. I also hope you see the benefit of a mission statement for your life. My mission statement gives clarity as I seek to set goals for a new week, month, quarter, or year, and keeps me from swerving to far off track. I pray that your mission statement will do the same for you.

For His glory and purpose,