Week 5

Find Your Purpose and Passion

Recognizing who we are in Christ and aligning our

life with God’s purpose for use gives us a sense of destiny….

It gives form and direction to our life.

Jean Fleming

Introduction:

When my husband and I were first married Steve was the pastor of a little country church.  My young groom thought I was “super woman” which was flattering for a while until one fateful business meeting.   I was unable to attend that meeting and in my absence Steve had me voted in as the assistant organist.  Now  that would have been fine had I known how to play the organ! But, I didn’t have a clue. In fact, I had never touched an organ! I lived in fear that the church organist would die (she was 86 at the time) and that I would be called on to play in her absence.  As I have grown up and found freedom from performing, I have figured out how God has wired me and where He might best use me in His kingdom.

Jesus calls each of us to join Him in His mission of sharing His grace with the world. When we internalize God’s grace it gives purpose and passion to our lives.  In this chapter, we will be exploring how discovering your own unique design might help you join God in sharing His grace with world. 

The Parable of Lamp on a Stand

In case you haven’t already, read Luke 8:16.  Such a tiny story with such huge implications! What do you think is the point of Jesus’ story? I believe the point is that Jesus is saying once we have received God’s grace we don’t have the option to just sit around and enjoy God’s grace. Instead we receive a divine calling and purpose. “We are to be Light bearers……..Our purpose is to speak and live out the message of grace to the world around us.” (P. 94) 

The grace glimpse taught in this parable is:

God’s grace gives purpose and meaning to my life.

Our calling is the role we play in God’s kingdom.  So as performers what keeps us from finding our unique calling? On pages 97-98 I list several reasons why we might not find our unique calling:

• Trying to please others.
• Seeking greatness
• Being too introspective

So how do we discover our own unique design?  On page 99-100 I lay out the design profile. The design profile is an instrument I developed to help a person discover how they can best be used in God’s kingdom.

D – Dreams

E – Experiences

S – Strengths

I – Influence

G – Gifts

N – Needs

For Next Week

1. Read Chapter 5 in Freedom From Performing and complete the Daily Dose of Grace.
2. Write this week’s Grace Glimpse on an index card and tape it to your mirror. Every time you look at it remind yourself that God’s grace invites you to find your purpose.
3. Set aside an hour of quiet this week and take the design profile. Then write in a journal your reflections. How might you get involved in what God is doing around the world after taking the design profile?

Group Discussion – Answer one or more of the following questions and leave a comment.

1. Look back over the list of reasons for why we don’t often find our purpose. Which one can you relate to most and why?
2. After taking the design profile what are your reflections? Please share a comment about your experience in taking the design profile.
3. What was your favorite part of this chapter, and how did God use that in your life?