Fancy, Don’t Let Me Down
When Your Purpose Seems Too Plain.
The year was 1999. I was a senior in high school, and according to Shakespeare, “The world was my oyster.” Fun, freedom, and big dreams were staring me in the face as I embraced the transition from teenager to young adult.
But then it happened. A diagnosis. An unsettling. A life-altering moment that would shake my entire family.
Cancer. My dad was diagnosed with cancer. In 1999 cancer was scarier than it is now. It wasn’t as prevalent and treatments were not as advanced. Aspirations of fun, freedom, and big dreams were suddenly replaced with the looming fear of the unknown.
But.
But then people started showing up. People in our community rallied together to make our new “normal” as normal as possible. They brought groceries. They helped pay for the many graduation items needed for me to walk across the stage in May. They prayed. They sent cards. They gave us hope.
I said all of that to say this - purpose doesn’t have to be fancy, y’all. We are not all called to be preachers and teachers under the big spotlight. We are not all called to be missionaries to a foreign country. But we are ALL called.
Every time I think about purpose my mind goes back to Ananias. Paul was the bigwig preacher in the spotlight - no doubt about it. However, Ananias got him there. Ananias was brave and bold and bore a huge burden from the Lord. A burden that most people would have flat out said no to.
The Paul that penned a majority of the New Testament was not the Paul that Ananias reached out to, but He trusted in God’s plan for His purpose - so he went. Don’t you know he was scared? He went to this shrewd, awful Christian killer, and he prayed for and witnessed to him. Ananias was the catalyst. Paul was the fire. Both equally important. I urge you to go read this story in its entirety.
Dear Created Woman, maybe your calling is to “just” bring someone a jug of milk. But maybe, just maybe, that jug of milk is the spark that jumpstarts a lifelong journey with Jesus Christ. That’s a pretty big deal. Don’t doubt God’s plan for your purpose, because after all God’s plan is perfect.
Reflection
Is there a time in your life where you have felt that your purpose wasn’t important?
How has your purpose changed throughout the different seasons of your life?
Think about the purpose that God has set before you. Reflect on ways this purpose is vital to the Kingdom of God.
Goals
Share three ways that you can grow in the purpose that God has placed on your life.
Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit. Acts 9:17