Purpose

I had a conversation with a friend yesterday in which I reminded her that God has a purpose for her, right here, right now.  Funny thing, I needed to hear myself say those words.  The word "purpose" has been banging around in my thoughts all day reminding me of things I've read in Rick Warren's book, Purpose Driven Life, and causing me to ask myself questions like, "What's my purpose?"  "Do I know my purpose?"  "Am I working in my purpose each day?"  "Today?"

My purpose:  Love God; Love Others.

LOVE GOD:  Love the Lord your God with all of your heart, and all of your soul, and all of your mind, and all of your strength.  (Luke 10:27)

LOVE OTHERS:  Love your neighbor as your love yourself.  (Luke 10:27)

("Others" being particularly my man and my girls, and then all others around me.)

So if that's my purpose, then I had to ask myself, what should that look like?  I've thought about the verses that talk about us as Christians being salt and light.

SALT:  We are told in 2 Corinthians that we are the aroma of Christ, but Matthew 5 implies that we are also the flavor of Christ.  People should get a taste of Him when they are with us.  We should be significantly different from the rest of the world, a blast of flavor in a world of bland.

LIGHT:  My front porch light is on and summer bugs are swarming around it.  In the black of night, they are drawn to the light.  We should be like that porch light!  We should radiate so brightly with something (some ONE) so different than what the rest of the world has to offer, that people are drawn in for a closer look.  And as they look at our lives, examine our lives, they should see Christ, the Light of the world, in US!

As a friend said today, it's all about Love.  As He pours His love on us, we love God.  We love because He first loved us.  (1 John 4:19)  His love fills us and overflow onto others, and others are drawn to Him Who Is Love.  And that is my purpose.

And I fall so short.  I'm not always filled to over-flowing.

So, in my shower meditations today I realized that I need to start small.  I need to (1) accept that God loves me.  Accept love so I can love.  I need daily time in the Book of Love so I can be confident in Love.  I need to feel enveloped in grace and forgiveness and LOVE, so that I can LOVE.

I thought about that daunting cliche, seize the day, and decided that indeed Glennon Melton is right:  I should just (2) make sure I "carpe" a couple of moments each day.  In between the laundry and dishes and cooking and cleaning and gardening, I am pausing to capture some mental snapshots of LOVE.  The LOVE of God in the LOVEly...the joy of my big girl's belly laugh...the beauty of baby girl's big brown eyes that look at me with satisfaction as she sucks those little fingers...the blessing of a man who LOVES me tenderly and heartily and just loves me well...the magic and wonder of a growing garden...the sweet fellowship of God-sisters on my covered deck as we shake cream into butter...

And, as Ann Voskamp says, I should (3) remember that I am where I am, right here, right now, for a purpose.  I am inside the gate of LOVE for the purpose of drawing others in.  I am blessed to bless.  I am LOVED to LOVE.

Oh, Lord, help me love as You love.