Recently I’ve been struggling with the number one question most people ask… What is my purpose?  How am I to use my talents to further the kingdom of the Lord?  It seems I can see others purpose so easily at times, like all the wonderful women I know who are nurses… they bring such healing and care to the world that it’s easy to see they are literally God’s hands at work.  Others faithfully endure hardship and show us all strength.  Some are missionaries and risk their lives to share the gospel with people around the world…there are so many examples of people living lives of purpose…

But me?  I’m an engineer… I don’t heal anyone and I so far have not experienced great hardship.  I even struggle to share my faith at times, though I’m learning to get better.  So what do I have to offer?  So far, God has blessed me with a life full of wonderful things, loving relationships, and daily joy.  Why me?  I certainly don’t deserve it… I have messed up in countless ways and fall far short of the glory of God.  However, despite that I have found that if I am willing to take the steps, and work hard for something, God has faithfully fulfilled all my dreams and blessed me far beyond I deserve.  I expressed some of these thoughts to a fellow blogger who has a powerful story and online ministry.   (you can visit here!)  He replied to my comment with some words that struck me deeply.  More deeply than I thought a blog comment ever could!  Among other things, he said:

You beautiful child…. Your blog is so beautiful, and so blessed. You are a beacon into the night. Your life is blessed, not because your life is about overcoming; but about hope and joy. Right now your life is a message of such simple beauty… an example of God’s grace personified in the flesh.

Really?  Could that be me?  How come I get the amazing opportunity to have my purpose be personifying hope and joy?  Maybe it’s my perspective on life and the fact that I find it natural to look for the beauty and goodness in all things.  Ask my husband… I’m a hopeless optimist!

I have been rolling these words around in my mind for a week or so, and I’ve decided that it’s not just me that has this purpose.  It’s all of us… during the good times in our lives it’s our purpose to live joyously and to share with others the redeeming power of God’s grace.

I hope that no one reads this and thinks that I’m trying to brag in any way… quite the contrary… I think that to fulfill this purpose of hope and joy you must constantly point back to your Creator.  Nothing I have is mine, and I’m learning to hold onto everything I have with an open hand.  I’m sure that one day I’ll face hardship and then, in those moments, my purpose will shift to be one of showing strength or endurance.  However, until those days come I want to live as a beacon of light in this world, living fully, living joyfully, living humbly, and always always using my life to point to my Lord and my King, Jesus Christ.

So, I guess my point is this:  if you are happy and life is good, enjoy it.  Rejoice over it, and thank God for it.  Enjoy the blessings and the good things in life, rather than worry and wonder why they were given to you.   God wants us to be happy, and I have to believe that anyone living richly, humbly, and for His glory puts a smile on God’s face.  :)

¹⁴ “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵ Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. ¹⁶ In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”   – Matthew 5:14-16