Deep in the backcountry of Arkansas, I took my socks and shoes off.
My day had already been ruined once by a river. Earlier, I had driven my poor 2012 Ford Focus down a rocky, uneven dirt road only to find my path blocked by a river that swept over the road. I was attempting to find the trailhead for a trail that looked pretty cool, but I had instead spent an hour driving through an unpaved winding road. I gave up and went back to my cabin because I didn’t think my little car could make it across the washed-out road.
Now I found myself on a new trail, a much simpler one that online said would take about 39 minutes to complete. It wasn’t far from where I stayed, so I decided to give it a try.
But as I followed the path next to the river, I suddenly was confronted by a group of people going in the opposite direction. “That’s not the way!” they told me. “Did you find the cabin?” another asked.
I shook my head in the negative.
One of the group members, a young mom with two children, pulled up a map of the trail on her phone. “It looks like the trail is supposed to cross this river.” I concurred. However, the information I had pulled up on the trail didn’t warn me about having to go through water. I assumed there would be a bridge.
I did find two large trees knocked over, spanning the breadth of the river. The young boy started to climb across the log on his hands and knees. The trunk was skinny and, with his weight, he could easily shimmy across. I briefly considered doing the same, but I had a backpack on with GoPro equipment and a small camera drone, and I weighed much more. I wasn’t interested in trying to cross that way.
So instead, I realized that the only way to cross was to get my feet wet.
After taking off my socks and shoes and stuffing them into my backpack, I stepped into the cold but shallow river and made my way slowly across. At this point, it was about 15 feet across. In this water hike, I had to choose between stepping on sharp rocks or slippery ones, only occasionally finding respite in a pebbly path.
I made it across safely, only to find there wasn’t a clear trail on the other side. I knew I had to go up, as I could see the aforementioned cabin tucked away in the distance. The only choice was to climb a boulder pile to the top of the hill. So I did that as my next adventure, praying to God that no unfriendly critters would pop out every time I put my hand near a small dark cavern.
I survived, as you can tell by my writing this. But, to my frustration, the allegedly easy hike had no discernible trail for about 60% and took over an hour to complete. It was much more wilderness exploration than I expected.
Unfortunately, I can’t say I often stay on “the trail” in life. But it’s not for lack of trying!
Like in the story above, I’m constantly searching for my path in life but I just can’t seem to find it. I want to follow God’s plan, I want to live into my calling, I want to find my purpose—but the way forward seems vague. Is that the trail over there? Is it this one? Do I need to wade through a river? Scale a cliff? Where’s the path I was promised?
I’ve spent most of my professional life working with young people—from school-aged kids to college students. In this demographic, a prevailing question is absolutely “What is my purpose?” It’s one I continue to ask myself and wrestle with almost daily.
Growing up, I don’t believe anyone ever told me that God has one specific path for me already ordained. But it sure seemed like that was the idea. For a long time, it felt like life was just me wandering in the dark hoping I’d bump into My Purpose so God could congratulate me on finding it when God could have just handed it to me in the first place!
I also seemed to get the impression that Purpose was always grand and meaningful. At an early age, I read Brett and Alex Harris’ book Do Hard Things which told stories of kids fundraising to build wells in Africa and starting basketball tournaments to find a cure for Alzheimer's and just generally doing great big awesome things. The authors themselves worked with a Supreme Court Justice. No one ever seemed to suggest Purpose could be managing the local Best Buy or being the fry cook at McDonald’s. Purpose had to be BIG.
Despite those previous perceptions, there are two things I can now confidently say about your purpose and calling based on Scripture. But they aren’t exactly easy.
Firstly, when the New Testament talks about calling, it’s a general calling to be conformed to the image of Christ. Our primary purpose as human beings is to be like Jesus, to be on the path that God has set forth for all of us. Romans 8:28-30 reveals:
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.”
Don't get distracted by the predestined part—just note that this calling is for everyone and their mom who's on God's team. And it's not a call to some specific job or volunteer ministry or marriage partner or whatever—it's a call to be Jesus-ified. Ephesians 1:4-6 says something similar:
“For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.”
In general, especially in the New Testament, God is ultimately calling us to him and to a holy life modeled after the life of Jesus. Primarily, what God wants for us is to become Christ-like people and to shape the world with the love of Christ. That's all of our calls as believers. That's the general mission statement. That's our purpose. We are ultimately called to a life dedicated to Christ—there isn't a lot about being called to a particular task.
Secondly, even more contrary to our notion of calling—even contrary to the great "callings" of the Old Testament when Abraham packs his bags and Moses prepares to challenge the most powerful nation of the time—is that Paul writes that sometimes we are called to stay right where we are. 1 Corinthians 7:17-24 hits us with:
“Nevertheless, each person should live as a believer in whatever situation the Lord has assigned to them, just as God has called them. This is the rule I lay down in all the churches. Was a man already circumcised when he was called? He should not become uncircumcised. Was a man uncircumcised when he was called? He should not be circumcised. Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing. Keeping God’s commands is what counts. Each person should remain in the situation they were in when God called them.
Were you a slave when you were called? Don’t let it trouble you—although if you can gain your freedom, do so. For the one who was a slave when called to faith in the Lord is the Lord’s freed person; similarly, the one who was free when called is Christ’s slave. You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of human beings. Brothers and sisters, each person, as responsible to God, should remain in the situation they were in when God called them.”
Snuggled into a conversation about marriage, Paul makes the radical suggestion to not be worried about completely changing everything in your life. Being circumcised or not doesn't change your status before God. Being a slave or not doesn't change your status before God. Just like you can manage a Best Buy or be a fry cook and your status before God isn’t changed. All in all, God can use us anytime and in any place. We are sometimes called...to just sit tight, make the most of our current situation.
I realize this doesn't quiet the storm. It doesn't help me choose "what's next" for me in my career and in my life. It doesn't help me discern the next leg of the trail, hidden in the bushes across a river. But those thoughts, I think, miss the point.
God is most concerned that our purpose is being more Christ-like than the day before. If we are striving toward that goal, how many nonprofits we start or influential art we create or businesses we lead doesn't really matter. Indeed, perhaps the best ways to change the world isn't to go off and do something big and crazy but, as Paul reminds, remain right where we are to make the most of the situation we've found ourselves in.
Our purpose doesn't have to be found. It's right in front of us. We must just keep stepping forward toward God's grand vision, and whatever vocational journey we end up on will be to God's glory.
The Westminster Shorter Catechism asks believers, "What is the chief end of man?" and they are to respond wholeheartedly with: "Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever." Is there any other purpose we need?
Question of the Week
Leave your answer in the comment section below or reply to this email.
How do we strive after God’s BIG purpose for all of us?
My “Goings On”
Working on Super Jake book 3 and a revised edition of Who We Are
Just glorifying God,
Jake Doberenz
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