Purpose - Where

Where do we go when we are seeking to find the answer to our why? There are so many agents right now trying to answer that for us, trying to win our loyalty as they profess to have THE answer. Yet, they are all lacking in some form or fashion. The loyalty causes exhaustion and often results in burnout or wear or quite simply human failure. If the truth be told, I have been a seeker of where to my why, despite knowing the truth, for a large portion of my life.

Where do I go to find a quick fix for this lie that I just told? Simple. Make sure that everyone that is a part of the lie knows to protect me and proceed with life under the shadow. Yet, the where - everyone else to protect me - will eventually crumble. Those people will eventually fade in their loyalty. Those people will eventually slip and tell the truth. Those people will crumble under the burden of dishonesty that you have actually forced them to bear. So this where is not reliable. So where?

Where do I go for the relief from the debt I have incurred? I take out a loan and rob Peter to pay Paul. The debt is not gone. It is relocated and it is a shadow lurking in your life until it is gone. The banker/creditor/loan shark will never stop asking for their money. And you have just fueled their business. The where needs to something we look for before we make the decision to accrue the debt. That’s another question for another day. So where?

Where do I go for help with this weight that I just cannot shed? Pick your get skinny quick diet/workout/plan/scheme. If you take these vitamins, eat these limited foods, drink 90 gallons of water, exercise 3xs/day for 6 days a week, and sleep 10 hours/day, you will be healthy and beautiful. Yes, it is doable, but is it sustainable? Are you in a relationship with other humans? Do you work a job? It’s hard to do a lot of these life changes. The habits we have for quick lunches (i.e. Wendy’s 4for4) while we work feverishly to provide for our family’s needs (i.e. mortgage, insurance, piano lessons, travel ball) are nearly impossible to break. They lead us climbing into bed to only gain about 5 hours of sleep and then who has time to exercise or meal prep. So where?

Where do I go for advice on my conflict with a friend? To my other friend, of course. But not just any other friend, the one that will support my side of the story and encourage me to not back down from my emotions. The one that will help me devise a plan to have a conversation with an ultimatum. The one that will tell me all sorts of juicy gossip about the friend that I am mad at to help me feel better about myself. Hey wait a minute! If friend B will talk about friend A in such a way, shouldn’t I be worried about what friend B might be saying about me to others just as easily. So where?

The truth is the truth. As hard as it is for many of us to just be still and know, that is the truth. When life presents us with an enormous why in our life, it is important that we pause and listen and let Jesus love us where we are. It is important to reach to Him for comfort and for explanation before we seek out any other alternative. It is important that we recognize Him to be omnipotent. He knew the road we were walking down and the journey we were going to choose long before we arrived where we are now. He also knows how to lead, guide, and direct us so that we can find the best He has for us despite all of the trash and tragedy.

Where do we go when we are seeking to find the answer to our why? We go to the Word. It is full of promises of hope and grace and truth. It is full of stories of forgiveness that are not meant to be fairytales, but rather they are examples of the God who rescued and redeemed before is still on the throne now longing to rescue and redeem us as well.

Where did Abraham’s lie(s) get him concerning who his wife was? Genesis 12:12 & 20:2 both give account of Abraham trying to conceal who Sarah was. It went horribly wrong and caused great distress for all parties involved - Abraham, Sarah, and the leaders with whom Abraham lied to. But God! But God still worked in and through Abraham and kept the covenant and made him the Father of many nations. This is not to say that lying is excused. No friend! However, it is to open your eyes to the truth that the same God who redeemed Abraham will redeem you from the time when you have been dishonest and will bring restoration so that you can be a cleansed vessel for kingdom work.

Where did the servants go when given the challenge to do something with what they had been given? Jesus tells the parable in Luke 19 concerning a master and three employees. Each were given the explicit command to “put this money to work…until I return.” He did not tell them how? He did not tell them why? He just gave a very clear implication to make the money produce something. When we are given anything, we are asked to be a good steward of what we have been given. Not so that we can become rich and famous, but so that we can be blessed and bless others. The parable goes on to explain that upon returning, one servant was able to give account to have truly doubled what was given to him. The second was able to grow the money at 50%. The third did nothing with their allotment and was not only scolded, but he was also told to give his money to the one who had already earned the greatest inheritance. We need to recognize that nothing we have in life is truly ours. It is all God’s. All of it. How we steward it will be dependent upon how we are able to truly benefit. But God! If we seek God as to how to best invest, spend, save, allocate or blessings, He will guide us so that we will have future opportunities to bless others with what we have been given.

Where did Ruth go when she was a widowed outsider? Ruth could have gone to her people where she was known and accepted and would have been easily able to slide back into a life that was not ideal, but satisfactory. Instead, she told Naomi, “where you go, I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God will be my God.” She did not look in the mirror and seek out the quick fix. She clung to what she saw lived out in Naomi’s life and pursued that truth for herself. But God! By that step of faith, she became a part of the lineage of David, and therefore Jesus. Look in the mirror and seek to make changes that God tells you to make, not through comparison to other creations that he intended for their own unique purpose. Perhaps you are exactly as He designed and He needs you to quit looking in the mirror and to get busy stepping out in faith serving Him.

Where did Samuel go when he was hearing strange voices in the middle of the night? Samuel ran to his trusted advisor and mentor, Eli. Eli caught on at the third time and properly advised Samuel how to proceed the next time he heard this voice calling out to him in the dark of night. But God! But God persisted with Samuel and Eli knowing that Eli would eventually lead Samuel to His throne. Samuel sought the guidance from someone that he trusted would best lead him to a decision that would bless him and in turn bless others. Eli did not scold him or tell him he was crazy and just hearing things. Eli listened with the hands of God upon him and used proper discernment as to how to best lead Samuel. Now it took three times for Eli to catch on and make sense of it all, but the relationship was blessed by God and used by God for His glory.

Pick your predicament. There is an answer from the Lord as to how to proceed once you have encountered this situation. We may not always get the answer we desire. Our why may not be answered with the clarity that is acceptable to our standards, but as we better understand God’s standards and God’s design, our standards become more aligned and more attuned to the peace that is granted when we believe that life with Jesus is just better.

Our purpose is simple. We are to become more like Jesus every day. How else can we do that without looking at where He is described so very clearly, the Word.