Living on Purpose: The dream within us

Our destiny is the core of our purpose and constantly urges and drives our responsibility to make sure we are doing everything we can to accomplish our mission. This divine calling fuels our thoughts and imaginations as we ask God to help keep us going forward and to never give up. Once we discover our vision our goal will not be easy. Dreams and faith go hand in hand. May we also consider that working a temporary job might be necessary in order to support our family while we are developing our skills and waiting for our dream to manifest. Benjamin Franklin is quoted as saying, “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” In the study of God, we see that he is articulate and his attributes are infused with a heavenly order. It has been said that a goal without a plan is just a wish and I’m sure we can agree that success does not happen without a strategy and large amounts of determination and perseverance. Warren Buffett is quoted as saying, “Someone’s sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago.”

I remember as a young boy, I loved insects and animals and wanted to become a biologist. From morning until evening I would catch all types of creatures and then I would read about them. However, as a teenager, I abandoned my dream and unfortunately became more interested in the social scene than years of academic discipline. About the same time, I was given an opportunity to learn how to play the guitar and discovered that I loved to sing and write Christian music. After I was married, I still enjoyed writing and performing my own songs, but now I had a family and was responsible for making money to support them. I was blessed to have a good paying job, but it was a profession that I absolutely had no interest in. In fact, for a while, there was a dark cloud of disappointment and frustration hanging over my head as I felt that I was not following my spiritual blueprint and being hindered from utilizing my potential.

So, after seeking the answers to my questions through many prayers and tears, the Lord lovingly helped me find my mission along with the peace and contentment I had been searching for. I accepted my job as a way to take care of our financial obligations while working diligently on my passion at the same time. I would rise early to go to work and when I came home, I would spend as many hours as possible studying the Bible, writing, teaching and recording music. I eventually graduated from Seminary and became an ordained minister, certified chaplain and a Christian author. Has it been a hard road? Absolutely! Especially when very few are interested in what you are doing. So, was becoming a biologist a part of my spiritual blueprint and I made the choice to walk away. or was it only something that was fun and the Lord graciously steered me into the correct destiny he planned for me? Now that I look back on my life, the ministry has been challenging, but by his grace, I’m confident for the most part that I am following his plan.

When seeking direction, one of the most important considerations is to not allow anything to quench the excitement and zeal that God has placed within us. You and I have a definite and specific purpose and it’s critical to protect and defend our mission from the dream killers. We’ve been given angels, the Holy Spirit, God’s Word, and of course, Jesus himself who is ready and willing to help us and empower us to do our Father’s will. Yes, there may be times when you might need to walk around the block and encourage yourself with scriptures, positive confessions, and quotes from those who can motivate and inspire you. And when we choose to obey God’s voice, we might as well be prepared to face adversity as there will be times of severe spiritual attacks, weeping, heart-aches and intense soul-searching. Nonetheless, just remember you are following God’s mandate and he is the highest authority and nothing is impossible with him! If your calling only encourages one person, in God’s perspective you are truly a tremendous success! It’s not about what we can do, it’s about being determined to obey what he is telling us to do.