And it begins....#PDL

Purpose Driven Life.  #PDL.  #RickWarren  #whatisyourpurpose

We are beginning a new study in church.  It is the resurgance of the Purpose Driven Life.  I'm reminded that it is NOT about me.  It is about God and the relationship that he wants with me.  He created me for a specific reason at a specific time.  Over the next 40 days I'll be exploring what that means.   I know that I can choose many things about my life, but in order to live in complete obedience to His word, I have to discover my purpose -- my SOLE reason for being -- and live according to that to experience the desires of my heart.

What is this going to look like?  Can a person's purpose change over time?  I think not.  I think that I may have made decisions in my past that have lead me away from the reason that He created me, and I have tried to find pleasure in the world.  I want to live on the path that He wants for me.  I want to live the life that he made me for.  Psalm 139 tells me that God knitted me together in my mother's womb.  I like that image.  I like to crochet.  When I start a crochet project, I choose exactly the right yarn or "materials" for my project. As I crochet (especially a prayer shawl) I pray as I carefully ensure that each stitch is consistent with the one before it.  If I make a mistake, I go back and correct it. When my creation is complete, I usually smile and say "this is good".  I like the thought of God so carefully knitting me together.

As I sit here through this study and ponder my purpose, I will ask God:

23 "Search me, God, and know my heart;
    test me and know my anxious thoughts.
24 See if there is any offensive way in me,
    and lead me in the way everlasting"

As I discover my purpose in this life, it may not be anything that I ever imagined.  Or, it may be simply that I need to continue to step in the direction that I am on.  In any case, if any anxiety or fear crops up, I want God to continue to lead me in the way everlasting.

Peace.