For the One: Who is Looking for Purpose

Ever since I was a kid, I knew I wanted to do some sort of mission work. It’s just been in my heart for as long as I remember. I had dreams and daydreams about it all the time! I always longed for the day I got to walk in my purpose and actually do everything I dreamt of doing. But I couldn’t start right away, I had to wait on God’s timing, since I had to go to school and it also wasn’t safe for a 5 year old to travel the world by herself (lol). 

In high school, I remember trying to go on multiple overseas mission trips that kept falling through. It wasn’t until my junior year that I finally got to go on my first overseas mission trip! I was 17 years old and couldn’t wait for the chance to step out in everything I had longed for. I did this for my spring break both junior and senior year. It was only for a week though, so it didn’t fully satisfy my longing to walk in full time missions. 

As most people do, after I graduated high school, I went to college. Although I didn’t know why I was going, even all through high school, I would tell my friends I didn’t need a degree to do missions work, so it felt pointless. But still, I felt that is where God was leading me to go, so I trusted his timing in waiting to do missions work. Halfway through college, during my sophomore year, I had a dream (and months worth of confrontations) that the LORD used to call me on a yearlong mission trip that went to a new country every month called the World Race! I remember the overwhelming joy I felt in the feeling of finally getting to walk in what I was called to and live out my dreams! 

The summer before I was getting ready to go, I was serving at my church’s summer camp (as I had done every year since I was 15). While I was there, our youth pastor, who knew I had just dropped out of college to pursue the LORD in missions, asked me to share a word to encourage the students to follow the LORD’s call on their life and share with them the importance of missions work/ living out the Great Commission. I was only asked 15 minutes before service to share my heart on this topic, so I did not have time to prepare an eloquent message. I simply just prayed and committed it to the LORD and asked Him to use me and speak through me the word He knew His children needed to hear! When I began speaking, I felt as if the Holy Spirit was speaking directly to me through the words He was speaking through me! I was blown away by the revelation he showed me! 

This is what He said:

“If the only point to being a Christian was to get you to Heaven/ save you from Hell, you would’ve died the day you got saved. Yet, we’re all still here.”

This thought has never even crossed my mind before which is how I know without a doubt that it was from God!

We each have our own unique God-given purpose for our life. If there wasn’t a specific, unique job for you to do, God wouldn’t still have you here! He has designed you on purpose for a purpose!

I know people have told you, very vaguely (although still truly because there are Bible verses such as Ephesians 3:20 and Jeremiah 29:11 to back up this truth) “God has big plans for you!” or “You’re going to do huge things with your life” or “You’re meant to change the world!” And now that you are reminded that these truths apply to everyone you might not feel as special or as called anymore, but don’t let the devil steal from you. You’re still just as special and just as called because God’s purpose for you is unique!

So this is what you need to know now: God’s plans for you start now! His purpose for you started yesterday. His dreams for you began the day he thought you up. I know when I was growing up I always thought my big plans were in the future. I thought God’s dreams for me would be fulfilled once I had a college degree and a successful career, but that is a lie straight from hell! Yes, I know that sounds harsh, and you might think I’m exaggerating, but I’m telling the truth. Why? Because the devil wants to lie to us to keep us from doing the Lord’s work now. Today. He thinks that if he can distract us long enough we’ll do less damage to hell. 

I didn’t get this truth until I decided I was going on the World Race. I remember thinking to myself, “Finally! I’ll be in God’s will! I finally get to do his work! I finally get to do what he has planned for me!” It took just a few short weeks in this skewed mindset for God to fully capture my heart during one of my quiet times spent with him. As I sat with him he said:

Ashley, if the world race was my only plan for you, or my only purpose for you, if that was my only will for your life, I would not have wasted either of our time in the last 20 years of your life. I would not still have you in college. Yes, although that may be part of your plan for the future, you’re going to miss the plans I have for you now if you solely stay focused on the future and not what you can do for me now. Today.

God is a good steward. The best steward, actually. He doesn’t waste time, or space, or resources. He has you exactly where He wants you because He wants to use you today! What are you going to do for him now? Don’t focus on the future. Be present in the present. It is important to ask God the big picture questions of what plans He has for your life, but it is also equally important (dare I say even more important) to wake up and ask Him every single day “God what do you want me to do today? Why am I where I am today? What purpose do you have for me today? How do you want to build your kingdom through me today?” Because it is not always through the grand adventures in life that God has purpose for you, but He has purpose for you in the mundane, in your everyday life. There are people he has intentionally placed around you in your school, your job, your family, or community that need Him, and you might be the image bearer God has placed in front of them to show them who He is through you!  Ultimately our purpose is to know God, love God, and show others who He is. So let’s ask Him how to live that out today (and everyday!) 

This week’s memory verse:

Ephesians 5:15-17 NIV

Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.

Love,

Ashley

FTO Co-founder