Have you ever wondered, “What is the purpose of my life?”
Or, “Why am I here?”
Or have you ever felt worthless – as if you didn’t count – and that the world would be “just the same without me”? And that you “make absolutely no difference in the course of the world”?
Well, everyone has those thoughts – doubt is part of life – but have no doubt about one thing: God has created us all for a specific reason. One of the hardest things in life is determining our individual destiny – and our true purpose in life.
Last week I wrote of the Power of Prayer. Prayer is, indeed, the single most powerful tool at our disposal. It is our own way of conversing with God – both asking and listening.
Too often people get “off course” by listening to the wrong people: peers, competitors, the pop culture icons who so influence our behavior, false idols and malicious people. What we should listen to is our own conscience – that little voice that tells us what is right and what is wrong.
This ‘voice’ is the voice of God in us – helping us, guiding us, steering us toward His destiny for us.
When you defy that voice, you are going to pay a heavy penalty. The Consciousness of Guilt is clear to all. Just look at Scott Peterson denying he killed his wife and unborn son – or Bill Clinton denying he “ever had sex with that woman.” Their guilt is clear on their faces – and they have somehow tried to defy God and what is right – and they know they were wrong.
Don’t you just know that before they committed their sins – or crimes – Peterson and Clinton and others – knew what they were doing was wrong? Didn’t that ‘voice’ tell them not to do it?
Of course it did!
But they went ahead and did it anyway.
They did not listen to their conscience. And because of that, their lives will forever be changed.
On the other hand, those that do listen often reap great rewards. The late Justin Dart, a very successful Los Angeles businessman and supporter of Ronald Reagan, once told me a story of how some guys came to him one day with a business proposal. They wanted Mr. Dart to invest heavily in a new concept. He listened, and then declined. He went home that night, thought about it all night and couldn’t sleep a wink. A ‘voice’ kept telling him he had made a big mistake by declining this business opportunity.
First thing the next morning he called the guys back and said, “I’ve changed my mind. I want to do it.”
Guess what? The ‘idea’ was Tupper Ware – and Mr. Dart made tens of millions of dollars.
He listened to that ‘voice’ and it was a positive experience with positive results.
OK, Peterson’s crimes and Mr. Dart’s successes are extremes that most of us can not relate to. But the lessons are clear: listening to your conscience – to God – is God’s way of directing us.
Now, what is the purpose of your life? Is there one?
Yes, indeed, there is. Every single one of us has a purpose; the key is figuring it out.
It does not have to be as a President or as a business tycoon or someone famous; perhaps being a good parent, a good worker, a good citizen – a good friend to someone at a key moment in their life – or even something seemingly insignificant could be your destiny.
Have no fear: you are as important in the eyes of God as anyone. And you have a duty to live your life as honestly as you can.
You have a duty to ‘listen’ to His guidance through that little ‘voice’ – as well as to ask for help.
America is at a crisis point these days. Too many people have chosen to listen to the wrong people uttering the wrong message.
To save this country we need to re-dedicate ourselves to listening only to the ‘voice’ delivering the right message.