What is my purpose in life?

We all have something going on in our lives. Some of us are fortunate enough to win at everything we do. Other people are struggling to get by. Perhaps, you have accomplished all that you have set out to do in life. If that is the case, congratulations. Not everyone is able to fulfill their goals and dreams. If this is you, or this is who you want to be, let me ask: have you fulfilled your purpose in life? Now, if you are one of the people who said that they have accomplished everything they set out to do in their life, then your answer has to be “yes,” right?

Accomplishing your dreams and goals doesn’t mean that you’ve fulfilled your purpose in life.

This statement might stir the pot a little bit but it is the truth. Many people seem to think that accomplishing your goals means that you’ve fulfilled your purpose, but this isn’t true. Striving to be the greatest and most talented person in your field may not be your purpose in life. In fact, it should not be your purpose in life. Many people knock accomplishment after accomplishment off of their bucket list and they still feel empty inside. There is a reason for this.

Life is not about tangible things. It is not about the accomplishments or the accolades or the likes. All of these things will fade. Not may fade. Will fade. Life is temporary and at some point, we will lose it.

I have an exercise for you. Think about your funeral. What do you think your closest friends and family will say? Will they only be able to talk about your accomplishments? What are those accomplishments? Are they positive things, like the fact that you never hesitated to give food to the homeless, or are they common and worldly things, like that you were really good at your job and that you made a lot of money? Did these accomplishments make the world a better place or did they only gratify your needs and desires? Will people be able to say positive things about your character? Consider these things. Maybe, you’d like to pause because you need a moment to truly think about what they will say. Now, here is a big question: will they celebrate your life because they know that your soul is in heaven, or will they mourn because they know your soul is being tormented?

To activate your purpose in life, you must remember the source of your life.

I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes[a] so that it will be even more fruitful. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
John 15: 1-5 (NIV)

Think of yourself as a branch on a vine. Both you and a branch are a source of life. The purpose of the branch is to grow and cover the surrounding surface with its leaves or fruit; however, a branch cannot do this if it is not connected to the vine. The branch has no purpose in life if it is not connected to the vine. If a branch is not connected to the vine, it will die. It will be a purposeless stick. Purposeless sticks are stepped on, tossed around, and maybe even thrown in a fire to be turned into ash and dust. They have no life and no meaning.

Similarly, like a branch, we as humans cannot fulfill our purpose in life if we are not connected to our life source: God. It is only by His grace that we are alive. His breath is in our lungs. As products of His life source, we are only able to fulfill our purpose if we stay connected to and abide in Him.

Our purpose is to glorify Him.

Just as a branch spreads leaves and fruit because it is attached to its life source, we are to spread God’s glory through the way that we live our lives. That is our purpose. We are placed on earth for a multitude of reasons, but one of these reasons is to spread the gospel of Christ. There are lives only I can touch. There are lives only you can touch. Your purpose is to use the tools God gives you to touch those lives and fulfill His will. Through glorifying the Father, we can spread His love and message, giving people hope, wisdom and peace. In Him, we have unlimited joy and salvation.

We glorify God through worshipping, honouring and praising Him through all we do, and living dignified lives.

This is why achieving your goals doesn’t necessarily mean that you are living your purpose. If you are not glorifying God in the process, then you cannot be fulfilling the work that you were created to fulfill. Now, this does not mean that achieving your goals is bad. God has given you talents and capabilities that are unique to only you. He wants you to maximize your potential and be all that you can be; however, if you are not giving back to Him in some way, shape, or form in the process of achieving your goals, then you are not fulfilling your purpose.

Giving back to Him looks like contributing regularly and cheerfully to your tithes and offering. It looks like testifying about His goodness in your life. Giving back could be thanking Him for your blessings rather than saying that your successes are due to your own efforts. It could be donating your time, money, old clothes, or any other resources to a friend, family member, or stranger in need, without the expectation of anything in return. Giving back is about striving every day to live the way that Jesus lived, always reaching God-defined excellence and nobility, and never-ceasing despite the struggles you face. It is in doing this that you will be able to achieve all of the joy that God has in store for you.