Ephesians 2:10 says “For we are His creation—created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time so that we should walk in them.” (HCSB) Did you ever pause to consider what this verse means? I do not believe that God has a massive blueprint of what every step of our life will look like before we are born. Believing this would be in contradiction to what the Bible teaches us about freewill (For an excellent explanation on this point of view see ‘A Brief Outline and Defense of the Open View’ by Gregory A. Boyd). No, I think the meaning of this verse is deeper, more subtle and far more beautiful. Before we were even born, God gave each of us unique talents and had specific purposes in mind for us in which we would utilize those talents.
How beautiful is this? The creator of the universe and everything in it gave great thought to the purposes He intended us to pursue the moment we were created. God Himself gave serious thought to the person he envisioned we would become and then gave us the gifts, talents and aptitude to become that person. Who are we that God should take such care to define a mission for us before we were ever born? While we may often feel small and insignificant, the very fact that God purposed a life for us flies in the face of such thoughts.
Wow. How do we possibly respond to such an overwhelming act of love? I know from experience and observation how we generally tend to respond. We squander our time on selfish ambitions and pleasures while the very gifts He gave us become atrophied. He took such time and care in the formation of His purposes for our life, yet we give little time and even less care to the completion of those purposes.
What if we pulled ourselves out of the pool of selfishness we have been bathing in and begin to pursue the purposes He intended? We are all as equipped as we have ever been. We may have to shake off some rust and flex our gifted muscles, but the purposes of the living God still reside inside. They are bursting to be released and shared with a world in desperate need of what we alone can uniquely provide.
Do you ever feel like you were meant for much more than your current life? Do you have dreams and passions that you buried long ago out of fear or a lack of self-confidence? Most likely those feelings are driven by the purposes that God built into each one of us. In our very make-up, we are indeed intended and equipped to fulfill certain objectives. Not pursuing these purposes leaves us restless, frustrated and dissatisfied with our lives. We must let go of anything that is preventing us from fulfilling our true purpose in life. It is our calling, our destiny. God placed those purposes in you and you will never exorcise them. When we embark on the path of our purpose we will find rest and joy. Don’t fight your purpose; rather embrace all that God intended for you. Surrender everything to Him today and take hold of His purposes for you. Now embark on the adventure of the life you were meant to live.