He has made everything beautiful in its time. He also has planted eternity in men’s hearts and minds, a divinely inspired sense of purpose working through the ages, which nothing but God alone can satisfy. Ecclesiastes 3:11 AMP 

What is your calling, life mission, or purpose? For what reason did God put you here on this earth? What did God create you to do? I believe that Jesus has gifted each of us with a purpose – to glorify him by loving others and spreading the Gospel. At the same time, the way each of us accomplishes this will be different, depending on our gifts, experiences, and personalities. In other words, we also have a unique, individual mission! In Mark 13:33-34, Jesus compares his leaving and then returning to the earth to a landowner: Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with his assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch.

Finding your “assigned task” is a key to feeling your life has meaning, that you can make a real difference with the time you have on earth. This is arguably our most important source of emotional well-being and motivation. As a psychologist I often talk with clients who complain that their lives seem empty. They lack a clear reason for being. Even disciples of Jesus will say that, although they’re aware Jesus has “commissioned” them to make, baptize, and teach new disciples (Matthew 28:18-20), they don’t feel effective at this. These disheartened Christians believe in a “one-size-fits-all” approach to evangelism that they may observe their ministry leaders using.  

Not only does living our lives “on purpose” make us happy, it’s essential for good physical health as well! According to an article in the March 7, 2022 issue of Psychology Today, 

Research shows that individuals who have a strong sense of purpose and meaning in life tend to have better mental health, overall well-being, and cognitive functioning compared to those who lack a sense of purpose. Individuals with a sense of life purpose are less likely to have heart attacks, strokes, and dementia.

We must also be purpose-driven if we want to “live as Jesus did” (1 John 2:6). When urging his disciples to accompany him, Jesus said, “Let us go somewhere else – to the nearby villages – so I can preach there also. That is why I have come” (Mark 1:38). Jesus regularly shared variations of his mission with his friends. These included fulfilling the Old Testament prophecies (Matthew 5:17), serving and giving his life as a ransom (Matthew 20:28), preaching Good News (Luke 4;43), seeking and saving the lost (Luke 19:10), giving us a rich and satisfying life (John 10:10 NLT), and testifying to the truth (John 18:37). And in Jesus’s longest recorded prayer, he tells his Father, “I have brought your glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do.” 

How do we find our God-given task, our purpose? When the Apostle Paul encountered Jesus on the road to Damascus, he was told “Get up and go into Damascus, and there you will be told about all that you are destined to do” (Acts 22:10 TPT). Most of us don’t have the advantage of directly hearing the voice of Jesus, but we do have the Scriptures! These have inspired Christian authors with books like Chazown: Discover and Pursue God’s Purpose for Your Life by Craig Groeschel and The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For? by Rick Warren.

I believe following a six-step process enables us to identify the task for which God created us. Not surprisingly, these steps spell “UNIQUE”, since our mission is as individual as our fingerprint: 

Understand Your Past

Nurture Your Gifts

Illuminate Your Values 

Qualify Yourself

Unleash Your Talents

Empower Others 

In the first three steps we embark on a journey of self-discovery with a series of exercises designed to mine the riches of our personal history. Much as a life coach would help us evaluate our strengths and weaknesses, personal characteristics and preferences, we gather information to answer the question, “In what direction are my life experiences pointing?” Then, having decided on a course of action, we develop needed skills through additional education and training. Next, it’s time to “JUST DO IT”, beginning to work toward the purpose we believe God chose for us “before the foundation of the world” (Ephesians 1:4 AMP). The final step involves paying it forward, following Jesus’s command to:  Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends (John 15:12-13). This, ultimately, is our purpose: to fully use our gifts and talents, reflecting God’s love into the world! 

Questions for Reflection

  • What past experiences (personal, educational, or occupational) have prepared me to serve in a particular way? 
  • What gifts and talents has God given me? What do people say that I’m good at? 
  • What do I love doing? What causes am I passionate about?