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Have you or a good friend, or a loved one, ever struggled with the question of purpose? By that I mean asking yourself, “Why do I exist?” This question has to do with purpose. The Westminster Shorter Catechism states it like this; “Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever.” Many very successful people never seem to be at peace with the answer they get when pondering this question. They may be the most powerful attorney in the state of Florida, a leader of a multinational corporation, or a well-known professional athlete, but when faced with honestly deciding why they are here, they come up empty.

These people may be religious, and even a leader in their local church, but they find life very unsatisfying. I believe it is because they are not really connected to the God who has given them life. They often have been trying to appease the god of false religions and Christian cults that tell you to work, work, work to please God; or to give all your money to him. But they have ignored the great questions of “Who am I” and “Why do I exist?” They have no purpose. The gods of fame, fortune, power and position in the world leave men empty, bitter, and unsatisfied; and a line of broken relationships in their wake.

Whether or not you believe it, God does have a purpose for your life. Now don’t confuse this with “goals”. A goal is something you do or achieve. A purpose gets at why you do what you do. I know a young man whose main goal is to have a trucking company. He has started off on this journey, but it has been a disaster for him and his wife and children, and family. His whole life is focused on getting what he wants, meeting his goals, being the big man on the truck stop, or cattle feedlot. He treats his wife and children with contempt. His words are belittling, mean and hateful. His so-called friends are much the same. Get them together and the whiskey flows, and so does the babble of twentysomething boys who think they are men. He has a truck, but massive debt. He has a wife that stays with him and is putting herself and children in harm’s way. But he does not have the respect of his neighbors, family, wife, children and of himself.

This man is suicidal at times, mistreats his pregnant wife, and destroys his children’s toys when in a childish rage. He is a narcissist and bully. He is a fool because he does not take accountability for his infantile actions. Nor does he learn from them. He is the “god” of the world in his estimation. He is always right, and all his problems are the result of others being too lazy, selfish and ignorant (his words). You see this boy, I mean “man” will not accept responsibility for his actions. He will not learn from his mistakes. And when the consequences of his misdeeds appear, he is never at fault, thus no need to change.

This “man” will never find joy in life and relationships until he sees himself the way God sees him. He is not able to live for an eternal, noble goal because he has limited vision…all that matters is the here and now. Each of us must answer the following questions: “Who does God want me to be?” and “What does God want me to do?”

When a person’s relationship with God is off then all other relationships will be off (family, work, neighbors, etc.). God will show you his plan for your life if you let Him, Read Psalm 32:8 and Philippians 2:13. How do you think God will show you his plans?

If you struggle with this read Proverbs 16:9, 19:21, and 21:30 and ask how is the outcome of my goals and plans determined? And how should this influence my thinking?

If you find yourself angry with God and others over your plans and goals not being met, why do you think God did not allow you to meet that goal? If you are honest with yourself or are willing to let others be honest with you, you may just learn something and gain a bit of eternal wisdom. You may also find the love and joy missing from your relationships with others. Applying God’s word to your life takes effort and humility, but the benefits are amazing. Don’t be the fool who does the same thing over and over, while expecting different results.

Blessings to you this week!

Dave Carroll is an area missionary with InFaith, America’s oldest Christian home mission agency, and Pastor of the Wolf Creek Baptist Church. You can contact Dave at 406.459.8935 or davecarroll@infaith.org