He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God Micah 6:8
Our pastor yesterday had a sermon about God’s will for our lives. It was good, and it made me think. How do we determine God’s will? In general, of course, God would have us love him and be loved by him, just like any good father. However, he created us as curious and active beings, and we of course want to know a specific will for our lives. We ask, “What would God have me do?” “What am I created to do?” “What is my mission in life?” “Why am I here on planet Earth?”
I believe that God did not ordain any specific will or plan for our life that we need to work hard to figure out. It is not as if God knows some hidden mission and he sets us on a giant quest to find it out. In fact, I think it is far simpler than that.
We can go in whatever direction we would like, based upon our gifts, our experiences and our passion. As long as we set out to first honor God in whatever particular field or endeavor we have chosen, He can bless our course.
Yes, God has equipped all of us with various talents and gifts right from our conception. Perhaps some have certain musical, or artistic, or athletic, or whatever type of gift to be found- there is partly a genetic component to our gifts and talents.
We have all gained valuable experiences (both positive and negative) from our birth and on through life. This helps to shape our way of thinking. Finally, in our hearts, we all have certain things we are drawn to- things we love to do- which are our passions.
We put together information from those three areas to find that mission: God-given talents and gifts; life experiences; areas of interest or passion.
If we direct ourselves in pursuit of God in any mission or career, we have found God’s will for our life.
Prayer: Lord, thank you for making us in your image, and desiring a mission in this life, Amen
Reflections of a Counselor 