“You are here to enrich the world and you impoverish yourself if you forget the errand.” – Woodrow Wilson

Do you ever wonder, “Why am I here?” Not as in, “Why do I exist?”  But rather do you ever ask yourself, “Why am I in this family?  Why has fate brought me to live in this town?  Why have circumstances resulted in my having this job?”

If you have had these questions, you are not alone. Everyone at times wonders why they are here, in this specific place, with these certain people.  The answer to these questions lies in the quote above from Woodrow Wilson.

You are here to enrich the world.

God has given you certain gifts and talents for one purpose: to bless others. And you are where you are because someone in your small part of the world needs you.  That person may need your guidance, your kindness or your encouragement.  That person may be someone in your family or someone you work with.  It may be your neighbor.

So, the key to life is not to ask yourself, “Why am I here?” Instead, you want to ask yourself, “Who does God want me to serve here?”

For example, at the time that I gave birth to my daughter, I was living in an apartment in New York City. In my building also lived a lady who had just given birth to her son.  Now all new mothers worry about their babies. But this lady’s worries had developed into an obsessive-compulsive disorder.  She was irrationally afraid that something would happen to her child.

She needed someone to talk to and to take her mind off of her fears. So, every day, she and I would put our babies in their strollers, and we (along with my dog) would go on long walks.  We would talk about all kinds of things so that she could relax and calm her mind.  That was my simple service – to walk, to talk and to be a friend.  I truly believe that God put me in that apartment building to serve that lady with my encouragement and listening ear.

It is important to remember why we are here. There is nothing wrong with trying to be successful.  There is nothing wrong with working hard to earn money to have nice things.  We all want to live well, or at the very least, comfortably.  But that isn’t why we are here.

We are here to enrich the world.

Each of us has something very important to offer the world. Perhaps you are an encouraging presence to others.  Or you might be a wonderful musician, and your music gives others joy.  Maybe you have wisdom to offer those who are struggling.

We each have a unique gift to offer the world. You need to figure out what your special gift or talent is.  Then you need to identify that neighbor, co-worker, or family member who needs to be blessed by what you have to offer.  Be on the alert!  God presents us with opportunities to enrich the world every day.

(Photo Courtesy of Pexels)

Follow me at https://www.facebook.com/yourmorningcupofinspiration/