We all seek to have three things in life. First, we want financial security.  We want to be able to pay our bills with ease, provide a nice life for our families and have a little money left over to enjoy some of the finer things in life.  We also want emotional security.  We want to have long-term relationships that are loving, supportive and safe.  Significantly, we spend a large part of our lives trying to obtain these two things.

But the third thing that we need is to have a purpose for our lives. This goal is more elusive.  We want to be able to answer the question, “Why am I here?”  Not surprisingly, there are a lot of people who cannot answer that question.  Or worse yet, they don’t even know that is the question that they should be asking.  As a result, they feel an inexplicable void in their lives.  Some may fill that void with shopping or drugs or alcohol or any number of unhealthy pursuits.

In order to fill that void, we instead need to figure out our unique life purpose. We are not here randomly.  God has placed each one of us on this earth for a specific role.  It is our job to figure out what that role is and how to fulfill it.

To understand your purpose on this earth takes a lot of soul searching. For most of us, it is not obvious.  If you currently are trying to discover your life purpose, consider the following:

1. Identify Your Special Gifts: God has blessed each of us with specific talents to enable us to fulfill our life purpose. So if you want to know what your purpose is, start by identifying where you are gifted. And please don’t say that you don’t have any gifts! We all have skills that come more naturally to us than others. Work on refining those skills. You ultimately will be using them to fulfill your purpose on this earth.
2. Your Life Purpose May Not Be Revealed until Later in Life: There are certain things that we cannot do well until we have some life experience under our belts. Being a writer is one of them. So is being a counselor, pastor, supervisor, artist or any number of other roles. As a result, we may not begin to fulfill our purpose in life until we are halfway through it. That is okay! Don’t consider the first half of your life to be wasted time. Realize that sometimes we need to mature both spiritually and emotionally before we are ready for greater pursuits.
3. Do Your Best No Matter What: You may feel that right now you aren’t fulfilling your purpose in life. Nevertheless, continue to do your best in all things. There are skills that you are gaining now that God use in the future. He is very creative and will use your experiences in ways that you can’t even imagine. So continue to set high standards for yourself. Your current efforts will not be wasted time.
4. What Do You Naturally Enjoy Doing?: Is there something that you would do, even if no one paid you to do it? If so, there is a good chance that activity is related to your life purpose. For instance, my daughter loves animals. She loves spending time with them and taking care of them. And she doesn’t need to be paid to do so. I suspect that someday her life’s calling will have something to do with caring for other creatures. We all don’t enjoy the same things, so take note of what it is that you happen to like to do.
5. Are You Serving Others?: Your purpose in life will in some way contribute to making world a better place. Now you don’t have to join a monastery or walk in the footsteps of Mother Teresa in order to serve the world. For example, if you run a company, you may benefit others by treating your employees well, paying them generously, and providing them with a pleasant work environment. If your purpose is to raise children, then you are nurturing individuals who ultimately will be a blessing to others. If you are a musician or artist, you may create beautiful things and experiences for others to enjoy. Simply put, your purpose in life will be the unique way that you make this world a better place.
6. Be Patient: It takes time to learn what your life purpose is. Of course there are a lucky few who know what their purpose is from an early age. Others, like Mozart, may have an undeniable talent in a certain area. Or some, like Eleanor Roosevelt, are placed in influential positions, and then take advantage of their situation. But for most of us, discovering our life purpose is an on-going exercise in trial and error. Keep being patient and know that if you are faithful, God will guide you toward the right path.

You are not here by accident. God created you with a specific intention in mind.  He created you to serve the world with your unique talents, your compassion, and your kindness.  The world needs you to fulfill your God-given purpose.  So take some time to consider what your unique purpose is.  It will be well-worth the effort.