At some point, we’ve all been plagued by the question, “What are you going to do with your life?” It’s a big question, and it’s one that doesn’t always have a clear-cut answer—though we often wish it did. This idea of purpose is something we wrestle with our whole lives. From the time we’re kids, it seems like everyone wants to know what your life plan is. And when you don’t have an answer, you start feeling a little lost. 

Somewhere along the way, many of us started to believe a lie that purpose is out there waiting to find us. We also tend to believe that purpose is about what we do instead of about who we are—which often leads to disappointment when the job we have isn’t the job we want or the one we feel called to. 

So what is purpose? 

Purpose isn’t out there waiting to find you. God already gave it to you. God created you in His image with good works for you to do and spiritual gifts to use. And these gifts aren’t for our glory but for God’s glory. They aren’t given to us to make ourselves feel better or look better to the world around us. These gifts are given to us so that we can reveal God to the world by humbly using them to serve others around us. 

Purpose is less about what we do professionally and more about stepping into the person God created us to be. 

Purpose isn’t about pursuing your passion or finding a dream job. Purpose is about seeking God and making Him known in the world around us. Jesus gave all of us—His followers—purpose when He laid out the Great Commission. And what is that purpose? To go out into the world and make disciples.

How do we do that? By loving God and loving others. By sharing our stories of how God has intervened in our lives. By doing whatever job we do with excellence, knowing that we are doing it for God—not for human praise. 

No job can ever truly fulfill our deep desire to make a difference in the world or to find meaning in our days. Only Jesus can fulfill that. So if you’re stuck in a situation where you don’t know what’s next, and you feel like you’re lost, fix your eyes on Jesus. 

Ask God to reveal the next right step to you. There’s no one right answer. When you realize your purpose is to love God and love others, you realize the freedom in that. You can do those things wherever you are. So trust God. Do the next right thing. And do something, knowing that following Jesus gives us the best purpose we could ever dream of or imagine.

Study Further:

“Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭28:18-20‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees with his reply, they met together to question him again. One of them, an expert in religious law, tried to trap him with this question: “Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?” Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭22:34-40‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”
‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭10:31‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ.”
‭‭Colossians‬ ‭3:23-24‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people; then you won’t become weary and give up. After all, you have not yet given your lives in your struggle against sin.”
‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭12:1-4‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭1:18‬ ‭NLT‬‬