Finding your place in Life…or, Trying Life On

Finding your place in Life…or, Trying Life On

“What do you want to be when you grow up?” Ahh, the dreaded question every teenager and child hates to be asked. “Where is my place? Where am I supposed to be?”…Those are the dreaded questions we ask ourselves. 

Some people, from the day they are born, know what they want to do. It becomes a consuming life passion. But not all of us are that lucky. The Bible tells us we all have a purpose.

Exodus 9:16 says “But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.”

Proverbs 19:21 says “Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails.”

Romans 8:28 “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.”

Sometimes, finding our place in life can be difficult. We may have a desire to serve in our church or the desire for a certain job, but that may not be God’s desire. Finding our place is like trying on clothes. Let’s say, you have an important event you know you need to go to and you know you need to find that one special outfit. You have an idea in your head of what your budget is, what your style is, what you want this outfit to look like. You search through the sale ads in that mornings paper and look online for more idea’s…then, you get into your car to start the search. You stop at the first department store, walk in and are immediately amazed at the amount of choices surrounding you. You walk even further into the store and start looking at the racks of clothes until you find an outfit that catches your attention. It’s the right size, the right colors, the right style….then hesitatingly, you look at the price tag, not only is the price within your budget, it’s marked down 50% off! 

Amazing. Everything fits the criteria you have placed in your mind about what you want. So then, it’s time to go try it on…you get to the dressing room and put the outfit on, not looking in the mirror yet. As you put on the outfit, you start feeling that something just isn’t right…the material doesn’t feel right on your skin, you realize that this amazing outfit feels tight in places where it shouldn’t feel tight and loose in places you really don’t want it to be. But, hey, it is the right color, style and price, so you think to yourself, well, maybe I can make it work…until you look in the mirror and realize that nope, this outfit isn’t for you.  Crushing! So, now you have to start the search all over again. Maybe, if you are lucky, you have brought in a few more options…but you still have to try them on. In the end, you walk out of the store, either with an outfit that works or you walk out empty handed and move on to the next store to start the process all over again. 

For me, finding my place in life is just like that. Especially, when it comes to serving the church. I have this overwhelming desire to serve in the church, and I have tried on a few “different outfits” but so far, none of them fit yet. When it comes to ministry, we need to allow God to lead us to where we want to be. There are times where we find the outfit that fits only to find out later that we have outgrown it. Sometimes, our place in a ministry may be only for a season so that we can learn and grow, other times, the door may be closed completely.

The point is, that we continue to search and continue to try outfits on. God will lead us to the place he wants us to be. He will reveal our purpose to us and it may not be close to the idea of what we had in mind. But that’s how God works. Being discouraged and giving up doesn’t do us any good. That’s exactly what the enemy wants us to do. 

Ephesians 1:11 says “In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will,”

2 Timothy 1:9 “He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time,”

1 Corinthians 3:8 says “The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor.”

Jeremiah 15:11 says “ I will deliver you for a good purpose; surely I will make your enemies plead with you in times of disaster and times of distress.”

And the most important thing to remember:

Jeremiah 29:11 “ For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. “

We may have to go through 3 or 4 or even 5 different ministries or career options before we find the right fit. God provides us an opportunity to learn and grow with each experience. Of where you are now is not a right fit, then don’t be afraid to take the outfit off and return it to the rack. Ask God to lead you to where he wants you to go, not where you think you should be. God’s plan for our lives is perfect, but sometimes, we just need to be patient and wait.