I search.
I seek advice from friends and family.
I read Rick Warren’s best-selling book, “The Purpose Driven Life.”
I go back to school.
I change jobs.
I re-read “The Purpose Driven Life.”
I change my job again.
And yet I still carry the nagging fear that I won’t fulfill “my purpose."

This cycle leaves me asking myself, why was I put on this planet at this time in history in this part of the world? What am I good at? What am I passionate about? Who am I? And I know I’m not the only one wrestling with these questions. We don’t want to settle; we want to thrive. We don’t want to do the ordinary; we want to make a difference.

I know that as I search for my purpose, I long for something that is both elusive and within my reach. Honestly, I long for a fulfilling job that gives me a reason to get out of bed each morning and allows me to provide for a healthy family. And I long for friends to share my life with.

But I wonder if this longing is something that will ever be satisfied by fulfilling all of my desires. This longing transcends career, money, family and friends.

I’ve come to find that my primary purpose in life is found in the book of Mark: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength… and love your neighbor as yourself (Mark 12:30a, 12:31b).

That’s it. It’s simple, but it’s a daily choice. I can change the world by investing in the people around me. A great job is a bonus. Family and friends are a blessing. A great home is a plus. But my soul is most satisfied when I give my life to God and others.

If you’re lacking purpose today, let’s go to God’s Word together:

1. Matthew 6:33 (GNTD)
   Instead, be concerned above everything else with the Kingdom of God and with what he requires of you, and he will provide you with all these other things.
2. John 8:12b (GNTD)
   “I am the light of the world,” he said. “Whoever follows me will have the light of life and will never walk in darkness.”
3. Matthew 5:16 (GNTD)
   In the same way your light must shine before people, so that they will see the good things you do and praise your Father in heaven.
4. Matthew 16:24 (GNTD)
   Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you want to come with me, you must forget yourself, carry your cross, and follow me.