“The LORD will fulfill His purpose for me. LORD, Your love is eternal; do not abandon the work of Your hands.” – Psalm 138:8

I remember that verse being on the front of the bible given to me the day I became saved. I remember as a little girl loving that verse, memorizing it and since, it has become my life verse. From a young age it sparked an interest in me of what this purpose He was going to fulfill in me was, and it gave me hope that no matter what it was, He would accomplish it. I have never stopped chasing it since the day I discovered this verse.

This week I spent a lot of time at the office. For those of you that don’t know, I work for an amazing organization called Ocoee Outreach based out of Cleveland, TN. They employ college students as summer missionaries to lead the church groups that come in week to week to work. We do mostly home repair, such as roofs, painting, carpentry, but we also do some backyard bible clubs in the Boys and Girls clubs and apartment complexes around town.

Typically I would be one of the ones on the roof or painting, but the past two weeks I have been the tech missionary, meaning I take a lot of pictures, make videos, and do some things behind the scenes that have to be done from week to week. So, as I said earlier, I spent a lot of time in the office.

And it stretched me, pushed me. I don’t always enjoy being behind the scenes. At first I was super bummed because I didn’t have a group to work with, and my favorite part is meeting the people who come serve with us. But these past two weeks have taught me a lot, a lot about my purpose.

Mostly about how God is in the small things. He is in the details. The little things that come together to make the whole, magnificent picture. The details radiate his beauty and his masterpiece. He is in the details of my life, working all things for my good and his glory, which happen to be synonymous.

My good. His glory. My good = his glory. The same. What is best in my life is what gives him glory. That is purpose. That is what my life and your life is about.

“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. 29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the first-born among many brothers and sisters. 30 And those he predestined, he also called;those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.” – Romans 8:28-30

“Everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.” Isaiah 43:7

How do you and I have purpose in the chaos of life? We glorify Him. We seek our part in the magnification of His name. We praise him in the details of our lives. We weave Him into each part so that our story and His story are one. That is what we were created to do. It looks different for each of us.

For me, I found this week that I love people. I love stories, writing them, hearing them, making them in real life. My job allows me to sit in the living room floor of beautiful, valuable children of God that may or may not know him. And each day I get to hear their stories and take part in what God is doing in their lives to renew hope and bring restoration to their home and hearts. That make sound eloquent and beautiful, but it is not always so. It is messy, difficult, trying, stretching. Some days you leave with a smile, and some days it rips your heart out.

But the amazing part is – there is hope. God is working, he is moving, and he has chosen me, allowed me to take part. {for my good and for His glory.}

Some days it’s hard to be in the background. To feel like we are not the ones doing the work. We see the successes of others, their joy, their life and we crave that. That was me in the office. I wanted to be out with everyone else. And then I realized my purpose was where God had me for that moment.

Life is like that. Sometimes we will be doing what we love, what we were created to do. Some days we will have our Esther moments, and other days we will watch people have theirs. We will wait patiently as Joseph did, not seeing the divine plan God has. There will be times of both and we have to learn to be okay with that. To find joy in both, hope in both, God in both.

My good doesn’t direct His glory. My good is merely a reflection of it. His glory is my good, but His glory is not always my definition of “good.” It’s a myth that Christianity makes life easier, makes you successful, or gives earthly gains. In fact Christ asks you to give that up for him. Sometimes it’s His will for those things, but it’s not the case for every person and every situation. We can’t assume God’s good is earthly good. We can’t expect only nice, great things to happen to us forever. Good by his standards depends on if it’s helping you accomplish your purpose, if it’s glorifying Him, if it’s spreading his Kingdom. It can seem as though that’s selfish of Him – to take our life as the use of his glory. But considering the circumstance of the cross, it doesn’t seem like such a huge request. To sacrifice your life for him, which in itself sounds boring and mean. But in a plot twist kind of way, your full potential, what you are created for is found in Him. It’s found in you sacrificing your life. It’s incredible.

That’s what makes Him God; that is the mystery of the Cross. How something so tragic can turn out to be good, to be the hope of the world. But that is how God works. Turning all things for the good of his children. That’s why we search for the hope in the hard times. That’s why we must seek for God in all moments finding ways to give him glory. That is how He turns bad into good, because our purpose on earth is to proclaim his glory and what could be more “good” than doing that in every situation.

This is not to say that we follow God because of what we can gain. That we should seek Him so that we can be the best version of ourselves. We seek Him because we love Him. Because He is the way. Because we love Him. Any added benefit is just the kindness of the Lord, which once again points to His glory. Our purpose.

When we mix our talents with our passions and our Lord, we find our purpose. He created you uniquely to fulfill a purpose, His purpose for you.

“I am sure of this, that He who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:6

That looks differently for each of us in every stage of life. There is no cookie cutter answer for accomplishing your purpose. But I can promise in the pursuit of your purpose you’ll need your bible and a lot of prayers. You’ll find your talents combine with your passions. You’ll see the Lord working everything together.

His glory is purpose. To know Him deeply, to love Him more, that is purpose.

Pursue it.

You’ll find your good. {even though you weren’t seeking it.}

“From him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.”– Romans 11:36

– Mary