By Leo Sekoere
“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works,
which God prepared before-hand that we should walk in them.”-Ephesians 2: 10. This
is our God-given purpose!
God-given refers to
anything given or created by God. Purpose, in this context, refers
to the main function of an individual i.e. what you were born for. Every created
thing has a purpose and it gets this purpose from its creator. Think of it this
way now; when a person creates a toy he gives it a purpose and releases it to
be sold in retail outlets. Before an eager child gets to buy it (to fulfil its
purpose) sometimes it has to undergo a period of dormancy; being left in the
storage, stored on the shelf etc. the fulfilment of its purpose will only begin
when it is in the right place at the right time -all the while the toy is
oblivious of this.
Like this toy, we as individuals were created by God with a
special purpose but then we had to grow up and experience life and its woes. While
some have found what they were created to do and are doing it, a majority of
people are clueless. They are still “waiting on the shelf” or accumulating dust
in the storage.
Unlike the toy in the
analogy, our time and our creator’s time are not the same. While our purpose
has already been fulfilled in the spiritual realm, in the natural realm there
has to be a waiting period. Evidence of this can be found in Genesis 18:14
The fulfilment of Godly Purpose will not wait for you to feel
ready; it only comes because you are ready. When it comes, it comes to shake
every foundation you think you were built on and Christ becomes the cornerstone.
It comes to bury every past identity and every identity given to you by your circumstances
and it comes to magnify God above all your shortcomings.
I’m inspired by Apostle Paul’s journey to the fulfilment of
his God-given purpose. In 1Timothy chapter 1:13 we are introduced to Paul’s
identity as given to him by his past and choices he made under that false
identity. I bet at the time, he felt like it was his purpose to be a Pharisee and
a persecutor of the church. Little did He know…In Acts chapter 22 the divine Hand
of Jehova Tsidkenu grabs a hold of him and pushes him straight into God-Given
purpose.
Most times a confusing period of depression or uncomfortable
change precedes this journey into God-given purpose. Sometimes you just go
through a time of purging where God will start moving things and people out of
your life. Paul lost his sight and had to be lead by his subordinates right
before God-given purpose was fulfilled. Ruth had to lose a husband and live in
poverty, Ester had to lose her parents and live with her cousin, Jochebed, Mary
and Hannah had to lose their sons too. Research prominent ministers of the
gospel of Christ and you will hear about the difficult processes that lead to
their discovery of God-given purpose.
When purging happens it is often to make our purpose sure. The
mistake we often make is walking away and/or building over the same foundation
Christ is destroying for our sake.
I am now addressing a particular person who is going through
depression. You are overwhelmed by everything around you and you often feel
like it is better to die than live. You are constantly battling suicidal
thoughts and no one seems to have a solution. God hasn’t given up on you, He is
rearranging your life in order to fulfil His plans regarding your life. There
are some paths He is closing, some relationships He is destroying. You can
trust him! He doesn’t intend on hurting you, everything will work out for your
good because you are called according to His purpose. Find refuge in God.
Rebuild your relationship with Him and in no time, He is going to release
you into your God-given purpose!!
