I Know My Life's Purpose
It’s a well-known phenomenon that high achievers often reach the top of their careers and discover that they still feel unfulfilled. This experience was dramatically captured in the movie, Chariots of Fire, when Harold Abrams confesses immediately before his Olympic race that his greatest fear is not losing; it’s winning.
“I’m forever in pursuit and I don’t even know what it is I’m chasing…I’m scared…I’ve labored, browed, and bullied for this, day in and day out. You’ve seen us. You’ve chuckled over us…madmen. But for what? I was beaten out of sight in the 200. I was tricked in the semi-final. Now in one hour’s time I’ll be out there again. I’ll raise my eyes and look down that corridor – four feet wide with 10 lonely seconds to justify my whole existence. But will I? Aubrey, I’ve known the fear of losing, but now I’m almost too frightened to win.”
This quote reflects his growing awareness that he has made winning a gold medal his life’s purpose. However, now that he is on the doorstep of achieving it, he realizes that it may not be worth it. He realizes that winning may not be a good enough purpose to justify one’s life.
Likewise, we all know that accumulating wealth isn’t a good purpose. There are countless people in this world who have amassed great wealth and yet remain miserable individuals forever seeking just a little bit more. The pursuit of beauty, fame, or status are also poor purpose choices. They fade and wear out and so those who pursue these are often consumed with a never-ending pursuit of trying to keep them up and prevent their loss.
But we all know this already. Everyone knows that winning isn’t a good goal for life. We all know that beauty fades, people are fickle with their praise, and wealth doesn’t provide lasting security. And yet, we often choose these things as our purposes anyway. We simply fall into pursuing these goals because there is this innate draw towards them. Plus, even though we see the limitations of these goals, we often can’t quite figure out what else to do with our lives. While the spiritual journey is largely about releasing our attachment to these things (achievement, wealth, fame, etc.), if we don’t have a better purpose to grab hold of, we will end up picking these things right back up.
Do you know what your purpose is? Do you have a “better” purpose to pick up as you lay these lesser purposes down?
I do. As I consider the question, “what’s the purpose of my life?” I have come to answer this question in a way that feels deeply satisfying to me. In a word, my purpose is to consent. Every moment of every day, my purpose is to give my life to God — to consent to his presence and action. I regularly fail at this, so every moment I live is another chance to consent again. This is an incredible challenge, but it’s also rewarding beyond description.
This purpose for my life stands in contrast to the false purposes I listed above. When your purpose is winning a gold medal, accumulating accolades, or amassing wealth, there is a supposed “arriving.” We strive to get something or get somewhere. But this makes us vulnerable to life’s unpredictability and evil. However, if your purpose is consenting, then we can fulfill our purpose even when we are moving “backward” in life. When I’m failing, losing, or being wronged, I can still consent to God’s presence and action in the midst of those situations.
Because my purpose is not dependent upon the world unfolding according to any plan, it’s something I can accomplish every moment of every day. It is incredibly rewarding and yet also eternally renewing. It is something I get to live out, day-by-day, moment-by-moment, for the rest of my life.
Consenting doesn’t mean I am calling the evil I endure good. It doesn’t mean I like everything that is happening to me. It also doesn’t mean that I can’t want to win, invest for a better future, or even enjoy compliments from peers. It means my ultimate purpose isn’t dependent on getting all these things, which are out of my control. I am choosing to accept the world as it is coming to me and submit to whatever work God is doing in the midst of it.
No matter what you are facing, you can consent to God’s presence and action today. This is a good and meaningful purpose. When we do this, God receives glory, honor, and praise. And we often come to discover the vastness of God’s surprising power at work in our lives. May the Lord bless you with encouragement to consent again, and again today.