Developing Horizons Magazine (2).pdf Spring 2017 DHM A | Page 18

Christian LIfe
Doing Life God’s Way Every Day
About the Author:
Teresa and Keith Devine. Teresa is
the founder of 24/7 Purpose. She a
former C-level executive with a fortune
500 company and veteran technology
A lmost everyone at some point
asks the proverbial question, “What
is my purpose?” As far back as
I can remember, I’ve been asking
myself that very question. My most
vivid memory of this inquiry hap-
pened as an immature, yet highly
aspirational twenty-five-year-old
when visiting Anna, a highly rec-
ommended spiritual mentor. I was
nervous and excited for the unveil-
ing of this mystery that plagued me
and that somehow by gaining the
reason for my existence all prob-
lems would vanish. As I sat there
with sweaty palms and looked into
the eyes of a small, wise, elderly
woman, she finally asked, “So what
is it that you want to know, dear?”
Almost as quickly as the wow
factor entered, the confusion cast a
shadow. I contemplated the answer,
"to love and serve God." Well, that
sounds lovely and straightforward,
but what does that phrase specifi-
cally mean? The over analysis which
I knew could send me into a spiral
of paralysis was quickening. Unfor-
tunately, at that point in my life, I
was too timid to ask her to elaborate
on her response simply out of fear
of looking stupid. Oh, how pride
gets in the way of life's magic and
beauty.
tually, I knew who Jesus is and the
meaning behind my baptism, but I
didn’t know what it looks like to live
according to the Gospels of Jesus.
I didn't know what it truly means
to seek righteousness. Because I
didn’t know His Word well enough,
I couldn’t possibly love and serve
others the way God intended – the
way the spiritual mentor tried to
convey in my early years.
The quest to find purpose pro-
pelled me to give up a thriving
technology career as a C-level
executive in a Fortune 500 company
to spend 40 days in Rwanda. Why?
I was convinced that I would “find”
my purpose in Africa. Ironically, it
was there where God revealed the
simplicity of His mystery and the
importance of loving and serving
others in every encounter, with
everyone, every day regardless of
our location. I realized during that
time in solitude what it truly means
to put God first. Work, family,
friends and access to the Internet
were stripped away for a short while
so He could reach me at a deeper
level. The distractions of the world
get in the way of God’s presence in
our daily routines. I learned how
important it is to spend time in the
Bible and I achieved a new aware-
ness of how much I didn’t know
The next several years were spent
trying to love and serve God in
typical ways, but ultimately I de-
scribe this period as “the wandering
years,” perhaps even the floundering
years wherein loving and serving
are concerned. I was living a great
life by worldly standards but with
a constant yearning for more. But
I stammered and stuttered before more of what? I couldn’t figure it
finally blurting the words, “I want to out. Therein lay the never- ending
problem. I continued to search for
know my purpose.”
my purpose from an intellectual
and analytical point of view trying
She leaned back with a look of
to show my love and service to God
relief to hear a simple question and
through works, but I had no idea
said, “Oh, well it’s the same as ev-
eryone’s. It’s to love and serve God.” what I was doing. Why? Because
even though I grew up in a church,
I thought, “Wow! There it is. The I didn’t know Jesus as my intimate
friend, Lord, and Savior. Intellec-
answer I have been searching for.”
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
18 Spring