The Fight for Joy The Fight for Joy | Page 17

We also answer we are foreknown, predestined, called, justified and glorified (Romans 8:29-30). There are countless other answers to this question like “I am Salt and Light” (Matthew 5:16) but I think the above mentioned serve as basics. The questions on purpose like “Why was I born?” and “Why am I here” are a bit trickier. Before I list vers- es, I’d say this. God seldom reveals the entire purpose and plan for our lives to us at once. Probably be- cause we can’t even contain the whole plan it's too mind-boggling and intelligent for our finite minds. Probably because God knows we might jeopardize the plans by rushing if we knew. Reading the story of David, I marvel at how patient he was. I mean, he knew he was the next king but yet he rescinded every opportunity to accelerate the process – I doubt any man would be so patient and careful without the help of God especially in this fast-paced generation. What I do know and believe, however, is that God will show you the steps to take now and the next steps after that and after a while, you will see that he had a plan all along and your purpose will slowly become clear to you. We’re all descendants of Abraham on a journey to the promised land we don’t know. Gradu- ally, we conquer territory till we arrive and from retrospect we look back and praise God for what he has done. Still, on purpose, it’s also important for us to remember that we are works in progress. We never stop growing and improving until the day we die. God made us fearfully and wonderfully, but the effects of sin in this world have made us imperfect. God is in a constant process of improving us and releasing updates. As we read his word and walk with him we install these updates and are equipped for more. Another per- spective on this I really adore, mostly because I am a poet is The Passion Translations rendition of Ephe- sians 2:10. It says, “We have become his poetry, a re-created people that will fulfil the destiny he has given each of us, for we are joined to Jesus, the anointed one. Even before we were born, God planned in advance our desti- ny and the good works we would do to fulfil it.” You are a poem. God wrote you into existence and he has created you to write poems. To be creative. To write a story with your life. Counterintuitively, he has already written that story. He created you to trace his lines and the beauty of his story is, even if you miss the lines, he creates another path to the end - vic- tory. Lastly, whatever our specific purpose, there are some cardinal purposes that are central to all of us. One of them is to bring God glory. Bringing God glory is not one of our purposes – it is our chief purpose. 1 Cor 10:31 says, “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” 10