News flash; it’s not all about you!

And that includes your healing, freedom, integration, and maturity. Your distress matters. Jesus would have come to rescue you if you had been the only human on earth. And remember, this is about much more than forgiveness for individual sins; it’s about re-creating you into the glorious whole human God originally had in mind when He thought of you. And nothing evil has done, or you have done, will change God’s plan and purpose for you.

But the end goal is not primarily for you to not be in distress. That would be good enough! But it would also eventually become empty. That would leave the deeper question of “Why am I here? Why do I exist?” unanswered. There’s a lot of research going on these days about human flourishing, and one of the necessary components is having a sense of purpose.

God knew that. In fact it’s how He created you. One of the 5 things Jesus is about doing in all of us is making us useful. And in the end, nothing is more exhilarating than that.

Useful to Whom?

When we talk about purpose, about usefulness, that’s a worthy question; useful to whom? Are we simply pawns on some divine chessboard where our wellbeing doesn’t really matter? Is our healing and maturity only for making us more successful, with more money or power? And too many of us have felt “used” by some person or institution that determines whether we’re “useful” to them.

It might help to think in terms of the wake you leave behind you. Just as a boat leaves a wake in the water, your life leaves something behind. That includes at least three dimensions.

1. Your impact on you. A year from now, ten years from now, at the end of your life, how will you feel looking back? The more healed, whole, and mature you become, the fewer regrets and the more joy that kind of reflection would give you. That’s worth something.
2. Your impact on others. Here where your character matters tremendously. Are those who are closest to you lifted up? Are they better because of their connection with you? This is not primarily about external activities; it comes mostly from the substance within your soul. More on this in a minute.
3. Your impact on and for God. Yes, you impact Him! Like a parent rejoicing over their child’s growth and success, He feels joy when you become free and whole. “He shall see and be satisfied” (Isaiah 53:11). You become evidence to the universe that God is who He says He is, and that Satan has lost. And the impact of your life draws others to come closer to Jesus, which is His ultimate goal for us all.

This is about being part of something bigger than you are. To whatever degree you’ve already experienced that, you know how your soul thrives when you sense that larger purpose.

The Kingdom of God on Earth

Some imagine making a positive impact for the kingdom of God means working for a church or being in some specific ministry role. That may be true. But if the kingdom of God is to be on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10), this is about being an avenue for God’s presence in whatever human domain you are in.

What could it mean if healthy mature followers of Jesus were teaching in our schools and universities? Or running local, state, or national government functions? Or writing code, producing products for sale, or creating culture through art, music, and literature? I recently heard that hundreds of Google employees are meeting in small Bible study groups seeking to support each other in wrestling with what the kingdom of God means in that high-tech world.

Wherever you are, start now! But make sure you worry more about your character than the reach of your influence. if you don’t have a measure of healing, a larger influence just means your wounds will bleed all over more people. If your character is warped or “all about me” you may be just as likely to harm others as you are to help them.

On the other hand, your mature healed character is “contagious” also. How valuable you are comes not primarily from activities you do, but from who you become. You may or may not know the people your life impacts. But when you make all of you available for Jesus to use, the world is different.

What’s Your Purpose?

It’s almost a universal truth; the “stuff” God brings us through becomes the foundation, the fuel, for where we can make an impact for the kingdom of God. This is not something separate from who you are.

You might start by asking a few questions such as;

• Who is in my sphere of influence right now? Children, coworkers, neighbors, spouse, friends? What is my impact on them?
• Whose pain do I feel? What problem in the world keeps me awake at night?
• Is there something I’m passionate about? What would I change in the world if I could?

You may know the quote from Frederick Buechner: “The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.”

Be alert for imposter syndrome. Get over yourself enough to worry less about what others might think, or whether it’s possible. If your dream were true and possible, what would be the next thing you would do?

And then just take the next step.

May you experience the exhilaration of being useful – to God.

Your turn: Where have you deteriorated into self-focus? Where might you raise your sights in being useful for God’s kingdom? What is one next step you can take?   Leave a comment below.

Want more? On this week’s podcast Avery and Zion Montgomery and I tackle insightful questions from young listeners. This was fun!  Listen or watch.

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• News flash; it’s not all about you! In whatever sphere you live, the “stuff” God has brought you through becomes useful for His kingdom. And that becomes exhilarating.  Tweet that.

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