Abnormal Focus

Why am I here?

It's a natural question. I'll bet we've all asked it from time to time. I'll also bet most of us choose not to dwell on it, and I think I know why. It's intimidating! 'Why am I here' forces us to ponder just how fragile we are. It causes us to wonder about God and what happens when we die. Are there alien races out there for us to meet? What am I going to have for dinner? The right answer to that last one, of course, is 'I don't know, whatever you want'. To ask 'why am I here' leads us to a very uncertain and chaotic place that we really don't want to go. It makes us focus on a deeper purpose and that is something that scares us enough that we'd rather ignore it and just get on with life. Or at least that's the normal reaction.

But we aren't going to be normal any longer, you and I. We're going to allow ourselves to move out of our comfort zones a bit and focus in on the possible answers to that timeless question. The pastor at a church I used to attend likes to put it like this...he says "Everyone ends up somewhere, but few people end up somewhere on purpose." Figuring out how to answer 'why am I here' boils down to purpose. The world gets more and more chaotic, keeps us really busy, and so it takes too much effort to ponder a deeper meaning and purpose for our lives. we go deeper into debt, but it doesn't help. We bury our kids in activities so we don't have to spend any meaningful time with them. We move through life so fast that we stop dreaming big and just hope for a day to relax. Normal...like everyone else. Right?

I don't know about you, but I don't want to just float through life. I don't want to accept the lie that this is all there is and that the life I described above is God's design. I won't! I want to end up somewhere on purpose. I want to be abnormal (many of you might say I'm well on the way...) with my life. I want to find and fulfill the purpose God has for my life! We all end up somewhere...we all die. Do you want to go to your grave knowing your biggest accomplishment was a 3,000 square foot house and generations of children after you that know only consumerism and selfishness or do you want to reach for something more, something divinely created and special?

Yesterday I showed you a picture of our living Lord and Savior Jesus Christ that isn't normal. He loves you infinitely more than you can know. You were designed for very specific reasons. The life you want is waiting for you. Let's be abnormally focused on God and continually be seeking His perfect will for us. Pray over these passages from the Bible today and, as you do, ask God to reveal to you the first (or next) step on your journey to figuring out why you are here.

Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails. -- Proverbs 19:21

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. -- Romans 8:28

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. -- Ephesians 2:10

for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose. -- Philippians 2:13