Pride and Purpose

What have you done that you believe in and are proud of? I began last week’s sermon with a story about a gentleman who made a habit of asking this question, especially to new acquaintances. In asking this question, he had hoped to get beyond the surface question of ‘What do you do for a living?’ and really seek out people’s purpose in life. And that question can easily be related to what we do for a living, but it certainly doesn’t have to be. I’ve found that when those two can correlate it makes life simpler and more enjoyable, but we can certainly do things we believe in and are proud of outside where we get our paycheck.
But that, again, goes to the deeper question of purpose. Humans are designed by God to seek out purpose in our world. The concept of purpose, for me, solidifies my belief in a Creator in many ways. If we are simply random biological organisms, where does purpose come from? Where does our drive and passion and reason come from if not from a Creator?
And so, if we’re designed to be purposeful, I think we should all be able to answer that opening question. We should all have those things we believe in and are proud of in our life. And that may be something from the past to a certain extent, but it should also be an active part of our life, too. We might be proud of our kids and how we parented them as they grew, but we should continue to be proud of our role as their parents, even after they leave our homes.
But maybe it’s as someone who works with their hands or creates. Maybe you believe in your art or hard work. That can be a very purposeful part of our lives, in producing quality work no matter what we do. Maybe you’re proud of your role in the community and emphasize serving in various capacities. Maybe you believe in the ways you can help people.
No matter what we believe in or are proud of, our ultimate purpose as Created beings is to worship and serve our Creator. Paul writes in Colossians 1.16, “We look at this Son and see God’s original purpose in everything created. For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible…—everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him.” (MSG)
So, I encourage you to really ask that question: what have I done that I believe in or am proud of. Most importantly it should center on how we honor, love and worship God, but it is also specific to you. And when we can worship God by what we do AND when what we do brings us purpose, that’s part of the abundant life God wants for us. God bless.