Finding Purpose at Each Juncture

The first chapter of Own Your Life is entitled Seeing Beauty and Purpose in Your Ordinary Days.  At the end of the chapter the author, Sally Clarkson, offers some study questions to aid in further introspection.  Question #2 goes something like this:

"Learning to see each turn in the road and each unique circumstance as a part of what God has ordained has helped me find purpose at each juncture.  I ask Him 'Lord, what can I learn from this?  What message at this moment might prepare me to encourage someone in the same circumstances later?  Show me Your faithfulness now so I can keep learning'".

I find it fitting that her questions are impressed upon me at this time in my life because every single day I find myself saying internally and out loud that same phrase, "What can I learn from this"?  Some of my other popular phrases include, "This too shall pass", "The days are long but the years are short" and my personal favorite especially during tantrums (my daughters, not my own) "Serenity now!"

So far, I have learned tons of things in my 32 (soon to be 33, but who's counting) years of life which include but aren't limited to the following:

• Faith means trusting in advance what will only make sense in reverse
• Time is the wisest counselor
• Marriage means commitment; of course, so does insanity
• Be sure to taste your words before you spit them out
• Get in the Starbucks line before 7:30am to ensure a better day
• Nothing is as bad as it seems
• There are three types of pain; pain, excruciating pain, and stepping on a Lego

But perhaps her second question is the one that shed the most light and made me realize the burden of learning:  "What message at this moment might prepare me to encourage someone in the same circumstances later?"

Well, I never thought about it like that before.  Selfish me just learns the lesson of life, becomes more humble/humilitated (what's the difference), pats herself on the back and continues on feeling she's full of new wisdom.  Now, I have the added pressure of encouraging someone in the same circumstances later?  So, not only do I have to learn the lessons myself but now I have to pass the wisdom on to others in need?!  Well, if that doesn't define purpose then I don't know what does.

Needless to say, that question was a bit of a wake-up call for me.  The author doesn't talk about finding meaning at each juncture, which, I've learned is really what I've been doing.  Which is fine and all, but owning your life and showing MY faithfulness requires turning my lessons into purpose by encouraging others who are walking the road I've been down.

Challenge accepted.  :)

So I'll start with this tidbit:  Make sure to perform a visual and tactile sweep of the floor for any stray Legos....