How can I be where God wants me to be when my life is this messed up? I don’t make enough money to pay all my bills on time. My house isn’t like it should be. I am alone and have no “significant other” to share my life or my walk with.
My neighbor has more energy than I do. My boss he healthier than I am. That person at work I can’t stand has more money and a better car than I could ever hope to have!!!
I know I could do a much better job for God here on earth if I didn’t have to worry about my bills, or if I have enough gas to make it to work this week, or enough groceries to make it to next payday. If I didn’t have the worries or stress I have now I could really do God’s work in a great way. How could I possibly be where God wants me to be? What did I do so wrong that I am here instead of where I am supposed to be?
There was a time in my life when I didn’t like myself and always wanted what everyone else had. I believed that I was a good person and wondered what I had done so wrong to be punished like this. Everyone else had the nice cars, big houses, great spouses, wonderful kids and a job that always paid better than mine did. I often looked up to heaven and shouted “What is so wrong with me! I paid my dues and I am still struggling! When is it going to be my time!”.
Eleven years ago I met one of my very best friends. She was my boss at first. We became friends over a period of time. I have to admit though that I was jealous of her. She had a husband with a good job. Her two kids were polite and friendly when I met them, she had nice expensive cars. Her life was what I thought mine should be. In getting to know her I found out how her life wasn’t so perfect. She had problems. Her kids were not perfect (who is?!?!?!) and she had problems with them too.
Talking to her I found out that my perception of what her life was like was totally off. Once I got that realization down I started watching other people and found that everyone has problem, just not the same as mine. Then I realized that I have the problems I have because I was made to deal with these problems. Some of the things I went through another person would not be able to handle. And some of the things others go through would destroy me!
At this point I began to stop looking at what was wrong with my life and start focusing on the good things in my life. After some time doing this I started liking my life and, surprise!!! I starting liking ME!!! There really wasn’t much wrong with my life that I couldn’t learn to accept and the things I had no control over I just coped with the best I could.
I learned over time that God puts us exactly where we are supposed to be. If we take side trips and go where we are not supposed to go God uses that to help us learn more about who we are and who he wants us to be. He also allows those lessons to help us out later in life.
Each day God has a purpose for you. It might be to smile at the cashier at Kroger’s, or to tell a co-worker that her hair looks nice. I know that to you these don’t seem very important but to that person it makes their day. Each day your purpose helps you to listen to God better, it helps you get closer to him and it helps you stay on the path he has for you. Each day’s purpose builds upon the purpose from the previous day and builds up your purpose for tomorrow. Each purpose prepares you for the storms in your life. Each storm in your life makes you stronger in Christ and gives you experience to help others weather the storms in their lives. Some days your purpose may be so small that you don’t see it, other days your purpose is so huge that you look back on it and wonder how you made it through.
The first step is to wake up every day and tell God that you want to see your purpose for that day. Tell Him that you want to recognize your purpose and to let Him guide you so you do it right. At first you may not see it, or you may not recognize it till after it is done. You must learn to like yourself and your life. To be satisfied with what God has given you and to look for His direction each day. God loves you and speaks to you every day but most of us don’t hear him. We second guess what he tells us or give the credit to “luck”, “chance”, “fate” or some other such nonsense. Know that the voice, the idea, the revelation or the picture you get is from God and from no one else. Know that He gives you these things because he loves you and wants you to be everything he made you to be. Your identity doesn’t lay in your job, your spouse or any other part of your life. Your identity is in Christ and is independent of everything else. Once you come to understand that, you can be happier with your life and be satisfied with where you are and what you are doing. Then the purpose of each day will be easier to find and fulfill.
