Why Did God Create Me? (Part 5)

For the last four weeks, we've been exploring the question of why God created us, the human race. (Please refer to the previous posts for those discussions and conclusions.) This leads us to the obvious question about why God created me. Understanding why God created us is theologically interesting, but a little too philosophical to be practical. Why did He create me in particular? (Not that any of us is all that phenomenal, but we are the only me's that we have!)

Although the purpose of creating all of mankind may be a bit philosophical, we've got to understand that purpose before we understand our individual purposes. In other words, I cannot discover why God created me until I understand why God created us.

Whatever purpose I have, it must be related to the purpose of mankind in particular. As a member of the human race, my purpose as a member must be derived from the purpose of the race as a whole. Last week, we concluded that:

We exist to bear His image in order to bring Him glory and to enjoy Him forever.

Therefore, my personal purpose must somehow be to bear God's image and bring Him glory and enjoy Him forever. Whatever my specific purpose is, it must be an example of this larger purpose. God's individual purposes for us can be quite a bit different: Some exist to bring the Gospel to different people groups, others exist to build houses, others exist to raise children, others exist to teach, others exist and so on. (Most of us have purposes that include several different things.) All of these are equal in their ability to serve God's goals - the plumber is no less a part of God's plan than a pastor is.

God's purpose for each is different in its features, but ultimately, God's purpose for each of is a unique example of the purpose of mankind. The homemaker's purpose is an instance of being an image bearer of God, to glorify Him and enjoy Him forever. Same for the manufacturer, the athlete, or the scholar.

So, as you endeavor to discover God's purpose for you, if it does clearly fit into the purpose of mankind, it cannot be the purpose for your life.

Here are some helpful thoughts in exploring what your purpose might be:

• Discovering your purpose is a journey, not a destination. Your purpose will change over time, so don't expect to suddenly "figure it out" and then never face the question again.
  
  
• We can't just make up any purpose - it must be an example of the overall purpose of mankind.
  
  
• God often gives us great freedom - we know the main purpose, and we have choices before us of how we live to fulfill that purpose. So, "my purpose" may not be something that God has defined narrowly for me - He may well have a broad definition, and as long as I stay within those parameters, I have a lot of freedom. Some have broader parameters than others.
  
  
• Sometimes, God has something very, very specific. Moses had a very specific purpose. David, Paul, Elijah, Isaiah, and many others had very specific purposes (they didn't have the same freedom as most people do).
  
  
• If God had something very specific for you, He won't make it a guessing game where you have to try to decipher the clues. When He has something very specific, He makes it plain and clear. In all the Biblical examples of people with specific purposes, God made it obvious.
  
  
• Use all the God-given resources to discover your purpose: Scripture, wise counselors, prayer, patience, good Christian books, and the immanently useful tool of trial-and-error. (It's OK to fail if you're exploring to find God's purpose.)
  
  
• When you think you have an idea of what God might want of you, and you've made good use of all the God-given resources listed above, then the best thing is to take one step in the direction you think God wants you to go. Then stop and tell the Lord, "To the best of my ability, this is the direction I think would please You. If I'm wrong, please stop me. Otherwise, I'll keep going in this direction as long as I think it's right." Then see what happens. What Lynne and I have discovered is that once you take that first step and then give it back to God, He very often immediately confirms that you're on the right path or that you need to turn back. Rarely do we feel like He's not given us more revelation after taking a step of faith.
  
  
• You are very unlikely to discover your purpose if you do not pursue it.
  

There's a very good reason why God doesn't just write out our specific purposes on a piece of paper. He develops our character and our faith in the journey. It's a growth process that He wants us to go through, and one that we can't skip and still grow to maturity.

Most likely, you won't just discover your purpose like solving a math problem. The common experience that I've observed is that your purpose is gradually clarified over time. Over the years of seeking God, you get a clearer and clearer picture of your purpose as it slowly comes into focus. But I find a greater and greater peace the more I discover God's purpose for me.