God has a special purpose for your life. In fact, he has a special purpose for each one of us. And from the moment that we are born until the day that we die, our job is to figure out our purpose and fulfill it.

The challenge for many people is that they can’t figure out why they are on this earth. So, they float from relationship to relationship, from place to place, or from job to job, trying to figure out the point of their lives. And sadly, some never figure that out.

Below is a simple, three-step approach to figuring out why God put you on this earth. While these steps are simple, the work involved is not. Don’t be daunted by the hard work that lies ahead! A life lived in pursuit of one’s God-given purpose is truly a happy life.

Step One – Identify Your Strengths: What are you good at? No one is great at everything. Instead, we are all better at certain things than others. Once you figure out what you are good at, you then are on the path to figuring out your life purpose.

God gave you certain gifts and talents for a reason. He wants you to use them to fulfill your purpose on this earth. So, your unique gifts and talents are your clue as to God’s purpose for your life.

Very often, our God-given talents can be found in those things to which we are naturally attracted. For instance, from a young age, my mother loved music and loved playing the piano. She could practice for hours at a time.

God gave my mother a love of music for a reason. In addition to playing the piano, in her thirties, she learned to play the organ and thereafter became a church organist. She was a church organist for many decades and blessed others by enhancing their worship with beautiful music. She truly fulfilled God’s purpose for her life on this earth.

Think about what it is that you enjoy doing. Is there something that you do which puts you in “the zone,” when time can pass and you don’t even realize it? And I’m not referring to watching television. That is observing other people doing things! I am referring to when you are doing something useful.

For instance, if you can work with little kids, and at the end of the day, time has just flown, your purpose may be to be a school teacher. Or if you happily can spend your day working with accounts and figures, your purpose may be to be an accountant.

You naturally will be attracted to certain activities rather than others. See what you find to be enjoyable. That sometimes is difficult because we often have to accommodate the desires of others. But be a little bit selfish and take the time to see what it is that you truly enjoy doing.  Then you will find the key to your purpose in life.

Step Two – Develop Your Strengths: Simply having an interest or aptitude in a certain area will not help you to fulfill God’s purpose for your life. The skills you have right now are raw skills. They need to be developed. This is where the hard work comes in.

Once you’ve identified your special skill or gift, it has to be honed. That takes practice. My mother didn’t immediately become a professional pianist and organist. She spent years and years practicing her skills.

If you have a special skill, you have to develop that skill. For example, if you are a writer, then you have to write every chance that you get. Write in a journal. Create your own blog and write for the public. Work at your craft! If you like teaching, as you work toward obtaining your teaching certificate, teach every chance that you have. Teach Sunday School classes. Volunteer to tutor children or adults. Take every opportunity to improve your teaching skills.

As you throw yourself into developing your skills, you’ll find that you will start to become an expert in your area. It takes time, but it does happen. So, read everything about your field that you can get your hands on. Take classes. Listen to podcasts from experts in your field. Immerse yourself into your passion, and you will find that your God-given talents will grow exponentially.

Step 3 – Figure out How Your Skills Can Be Used to Improve the World: God has given us special skills for one reason only – so that we can help to establish heaven on earth. That means that after figuring out what your God-given talents are, and then honing them, your next step is to determine how you can use those talents to make the world a better place.

Note that serving the world isn’t necessarily done in a straight line. For example, Bill Gates has made a ridiculous amount of money by creating Microsoft. His talent is in computers, and his talent is in making money. He now uses his money to support initiatives to reduce global poverty, improve healthcare and promote education. He is using his money to truly make the world a better place.

Your talent may be in fixing cars. That is laudable. I couldn’t begin to fix my own car. When you become an expert in car repair, and then you treat your customers fairly and honestly, that makes the world a better place. There is a great deal to be said for honest business people who charge reasonable rates. You may even volunteer your services for free or at a lower cost for a single mother who is struggling. Or you may volunteer to mentor a junior mechanic. All of that makes the world a nicer place to live in.

God does not expect all of us to be Mother Teresa. Not everyone can drop all that they are doing and use their talents to serve the poor. If you have responsibilities to financially support a spouse or child or parent, that simply isn’t an option. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t find other avenues to use your talents to serve the world.

If you are searching for your life purpose, consider following the above steps. Take some meaningful time to figure out where your talents lie and how they might be used to make the world a better place. God has a very special purpose for your life. Do everything that you can do to fulfill it!

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