WHY AM I HERE?|Know The Purpose & Assignment of Your Life

Whenever a fiery preacher or motivational speaker ignited my desire to discover my purpose, I’d be left downcast, cheek in hand. I felt like a child stretching their hand to snatch the shining stars from the sky. I saw no visible talent that made me outstanding because I regarded doctors, engineers, lawyers, athletes and artists as the ones with a clear and concrete purpose.

I now see how purpose is overrated. It’s made to seem mysterious and out of reach for the common person. This view that God created every person for one unique and personal purpose leaves many feeling useless, powerless and with little to offer the world.

I’ve got good news for you.

The purpose of your life is simple, easy to understand and within reach for every human being walking the earth.

Plainly stated, the general purpose or reason for the existence of every human being is to grow their mind and look after their body so as to love God and people.

But because of sin’s corruption, humankind denies God, degrades his body, worships other gods and uses people for selfish ends.

For a Christian, life’s purpose or reason for existence takes a deeper meaning.

The purpose of a Christian is to enter and grow in God’s rest.

Rest means quiet trust, calm and peace in God. It’s entering a place of contentment in the heart that’s not dependent on external circumstances. A Christian who has entered God’s rest leans, depends and relies on God for their sustenance, support and well-being.

According to Hebrews 4, the children of Israel failed to enter this rest because of their disobedience and God set another day for anyone to enter it. Now, through Christ, we can enter this rest.

We enter and grow in this special rest when we hear the Word of God, mix it with faith and obey it. Living a purpose-driven life means living by God’s instructions in every aspect of our lives so we can enter spiritual rest, physical rest, mental rest and social rest. That’s the reason for our existence.

King Solomon came to the same conclusion when he wrote;

“That’s the whole story. Here now is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands, for this is everyone’s duty.”

(Ecclesiastes 12:13)

This directly connects to the first and greatest commandment which states;

“‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself. The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:34-40 NLT

Jesus too grew in purpose too.

The Bible says He grew in wisdom, stature, favour with God and favour with man. (Luke 2:52) These are the four aspects of life we must grow in to enter God’s rest.

This rest begins here on earth but total rest will be in heaven when God gives us glorified bodies, welcomes us into His presence, reveals Himself to us in greater measure and pours more of His agape love into our hearts.

When we enter God’s rest, the other aspects of our lives like career, marriage, ministry, and residence, among other decisions fall into place effortlessly, just as a product comes out right when the process for producing it is right.

Notice that the purpose of man is not discriminating between the rich and poor, literate or illiterate, man or woman, citizen or politician, black or white. Every person can live a purposeful life.

Assignment refers to the specific tasks or roles a person accomplishes or plays as they go through life.

An employee has the assignment of accomplishing the responsibilities in their job description. A student has the assignment of reading books and passings exams. A businessperson has the assignment of growing and managing their business well. A parent has an assignment of rising godly offspring during the window of time when the children are under their roof.

While the assignment is temporary and time-bound, the purpose is for life. We never retire from living in our purpose. That’s why it’s unwise to prioritize assignment over purpose.

For instance, a person who gives all his time to his job will experience burnout that affects the body, mind, spirit and relationships. A wife may look down on her purpose of taking care of her husband and children and prefer to be in an office somewhere. A husband may prefer busyness and miss out on connecting with his wife and children. But we should prioritize the well-being of our mind, body, spirit and relationships.

I hope you’re getting the point.

When you flourish in accomplishing your life’s purpose, you increase your chances of succeeding in your assignments. Your purpose must take priority over your assignment.

Whenever we neglect purpose, we hinder, delay or abort our assignments.

Born for a Purpose, Skilled for an Assignment

Donald J. Trump became the 45^th president of the USA. Was becoming president his purpose or assignment?

You got it right, it was his assignment. His purpose, before and after the presidency, remained intact.

No one can make an excuse for failing to accomplish their life purpose because it’s within the reach and ability of everyone. Each day presents us with an opportunity to keep our bodies healthy, grow our minds and cultivate our relationships with God and people.

We need specific skills or competencies to accomplish our assignments. Becoming a professional in any career requires training, knowledge and experience. That’s not to say purpose doesn’t require training. It does too. And it begins from home as we grow in the four aspects of our lives.

I marvel how God knew everything about my life even before I was born. He knew the assignments that awaited me. Therefore, as he formed me in my mother’s womb, he placed in me the natural talents, helped me acquire the skills and His Spirit gave me the spiritual gifts I need to do His will. He also gave me the personality and passions that would propel me to succeed in my assignments.

He didn’t stop there. He has also connected me with the right people and planted me in the right environments where I’d blossom and flourish.

The same God I serve, the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and other outstanding characters in the Bible is able and willing to do the same for you. Why? Because He created you to know and serve Him.

Notice that I did nothing to have the talents, spiritual gifts, personality and passions God gave me. They’re simply His gifts to me, measured according to His purpose for my life. That’s why I can’t boast or feel more important than others over what I received from God. (Jeremiah 9:23, 1 Corinthians 4:7, John 3:27)

How To Know Your Life Assignments

God created you for a reason.

He formed and equipped you with whatever you’ll need to live in your purpose and accomplish the specific assignments He gives you at different phases of your life’s journey.

Take a housefly, for instance. In its existence of fewer than thirty days, it plays an important role in breaking down organic matter and serves as a food source for birds, fish and insects. If a housefly can accomplish such an important assignment, how much more a human being?

I believe assignments find us. Or put another way, God calls us and leads us into our assignments.

After university, I imagined myself getting a job in an established company. But I failed to get one and unknown to me, the small financial institution, Goldlines Sacco, I had volunteered to start and where I served as the first board chairperson for four years would become my employer for over six years. The job found me.

We can also consider Bible characters like Moses, Joseph, David, and John the Baptist, among others who entered their assignment as they went about their normal routine.

God knows where to find you and will come for you when it’s time to start your assignment.

And as a Christian, you have the Holy Spirit as your Helper and Counsellor. Just as He moved different people in the New and Old Testament to accomplish certain assignments, He’ll definitely give you counsel when you ask. We don’t see anyone in the Bible asking God to use him/her in a specific way. The assignment came to them as they went about their daily activities, accomplishing the fundamental purpose of their lives.

Bringing it all together, a Christian’s success in life isn’t measured by the beauty of their body, level of education, amount of money, number of properties or popularity. Rather, the success of a Christian is measured by their obedience to God’s every Word, completing their life assignments and bearing lasting fruit of the Spirit.

Thank you for reading this article. I welcome your comments and questions – as iron sharpens iron, let’s sharpen each other.

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This is an excerpt from the upcoming book RIPE Christian Discipleship by Hirwa G. Israel.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.