DAY ONE (Thinking About My Purpose) – The Purpose Driven Life
Unless you assume a God, the question of life’s purpose is meaningless. Bertrand Russel, atheist
I think the quote above plays a key role in making sense of this whole book.
It was very hard for me to make sense of this chapter, since I’ve always thought that HAPPINESS and FULFILLMENT are what I really needed to have or achieve in this life. But upon reading the chapter over and over again, it dawned on me, who am I to dictate the purpose of my life?
You didn’t create yourself, so there is no way you can tell yourself what you were created for! If I handed you an invention you had never seen before, you wouldn’t know its purpose, and the invention itself wouldn’t be able to tell you either. Only the creator or the owner’s manual could reveal its purpose.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve always had this feeling that I was born to be great, that I was meant to do great things, and that my life had a great purpose. Deep inside, I knew I had the potential to achieve greatness, that’s why I’ve always been on the chase for great success.
Right now, I am the technical lead at an IT firm and I am happy with what I do. Flexible time, decent pay, significant role, and a lot of room for growth. At the same time, I’m also taking up my Masters degree in Computer Science. I’ve aced almost all of my subjects and currently I am working on a promising thesis that I envision to build my own company around. However, as great as this seems for me, I somehow end up asking myself, Is this what I really want? Is this really what I was meant to do or be?
Upon reflecting on the first chapter of this book, I had to rewire my thinking. The very first line of this chapter says:
It’s not about you.
If it’s not about me being happy and fulfilled then what is it about? What is the purpose of my life? And do I really need to know? In the first place, why even ask this question?
I once had a conversation with a seemingly happy and fulfilled woman at her early 50s. You can see it in her eyes, her smile and the way she talks, she is happy and that she knows a lot more about life than I do. I remember her saying that at a very young age, I had a lot of options and opportunities, that I can do anything I set my mind. So I asked her with this vague question resonating in my mind, with all these options, all these opportunities, WHAT DO I REALLY WANT and is it important that I know now than later? The conversation got cut off, and I didn’t get any answer…
As to how the question entered my mind, I think that’s another very long discussion but Chapter 1 of this book made it clear that you need to think outside of the box if you want to find out the answer to the WHAT question.
Only the creator or the owner’s manual could reveal its purpose.
I guess I have to ask Him.
Self-realizations:
- I don’t really know my purpose in life (Do I really need to know?)
- Being successful (acc. to the world’s standard) and fulfilling your life’s purpose are not at all the same issue.
- Life will not make sense if you succumb to the world’s wisdom. It is only in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for.
Questions:
- What is the purpose of my life?
- Why is it important that I know my life’s purpose?
A Point 2 Ponder 