Purpose Edition (January/February 2019)

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019 OHBELOVEDONE.COM PURPOSE ACCORDING
TO THE WORLD
“find your purpose by listening to your peer’s advice”
My immediate response to this is: no, no, no! But that shouldn’t necessarily be the first thoughts to pop
into your head. Your peers can give good advice, especially your Christian friends. But, because most of us
are still teenagers and young adults, we need to filter our friend advice! Teenagers (if you haven’t noticed)
can be very opinionated, and many of us will want everyone to agree with us. I’m not telling you to refuse
everything your friends are telling you, but be discerning to what you listen to. If you are not sure about
something, ask a parent or trusted adult!
// Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom in the future // proverbs 19:20
“find your purpose by surrounding yourself with positive people”
There is nothing wrong with being surrounded by positive people, but are those positive people encouraging
you in God’s word? I encourage you to have non-Christian friends. They are the mission field. But you need
to get your advice from trusted adults and Christian friends rather than worldly people, no matter how kind
and friendly they may be. As teenagers, it can be easy to hop on the latest trend, including our purpose in
life. For example, I have a lot of friends who want to go into the medical field. It would be easy, especially as
we are thinking towards college, to want to go wherever my friends are going. Part of finding your purpose
is finding your identity, and if you are a Child of the King that’s where your identity lies.
“find your purpose by donating time, money and talents”
Some people don’t feel like they have anything to offer. I’ve had times like that. You might believe that you
can’t help your church or your community. Everyone feels like that at times, but it’s not true. God made you
for a purpose that you might not know yet, so use the things you can do have to serve for his glory. But for
those who have discovered their many talents, don’t serve out of selfish ambition.
// Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion
to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his
exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts
of mercy, with cheerfulness // romans 12:6-8
“find your purpose by exploring your interests”
I agree with this one. You should totally explore what you are interested in to use as a starting point. I cannot
express enough how important it is to know your identity is in Christ. Explore your interests and find ways
to use them to serve in the church! If you are an artist, paint a picture to bless someone in the church. If you
enjoy graphic design, help design the slides for your announcements. If you are an athlete, see if you can
help organize a sports camp to outreach to your community.
There are so many things to do with your life, so much so that it can be overwhelming! But if you know that
your identity is in your Creator, and not the things you create/achieve/earn, then you can rest assured that
your eternal reward is in your eternal home. Also, pray! Prayer is incredibly powerful.
meet the
author
Emily lives in the sunny, ever-humid southeast and co-blogs at growingintofriends.com. She spends her days being
creative and dreaming up impractical yet exciting ideas when she doesn’t have to deal with reality. She is a freshman
in high school, uses as many big words as she can find, and reads every book she can get her hands on.
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