Living Your Purpose
I know what you’re thinking, am I really going to talk about living your purpose? I get it; it’s one of the most clique things that is said at CBU. For goodness sake, it’s on all of the banners around campus, everyday we are reminded to live our purpose. Trust me when I say, I get it. Just hear me out because this week I was challenged by a four-minute video to examine whether or not I really am living my purpose.
As part of a discussion board assignment I had to watch a four-minute video of Francis Chan speaking. It is just a snippet from one of his sermons, but it is a powerful snippet. The video is titled “What Are You Living For” and it shows a demonstration that he used in his sermon. In the demonstration he stretched out a piece of rope and told the congregation to imagine that it went on for eternity and to imagine that it represented a time line of your existence, which is forever. He then proceeded to hold up the end of rope, of which was a tiny red colored section. The few inches of red represented our time here on Earth, where the choice we make affect where we are headed for eternity. He discusses how so many people only think about the red part, consumed with thoughts of getting to travel and worrying about what we are going to eat. He then says, “Are you kidding me? What about this?” Picking up the rest of the rope that represents eternity, asking why you would spend the small red part trying to be comfortable in this life. He tells us that what we do in the little red part, the time on earth, determines where we get to spend eternity. Chan references Paul when he said that he is going to be like a runner and looking for the moment that he is going to face God because once you face Him you do not have another chance on Earth. Chan emphasizes that everything we do here on earth affects how we spend eternity.
Once I finished the video all I could think was, dang. It caused me to question how I was living in my “red part.” Am I truly living fully focused on the finish line, fully focused on God? I’m not going to go into a lot of detail about my answer but I can tell you my answer was simple, most of the time. Sure, I strive to live fully focused on God and his plan for me. I’m human, I’m sinful, and therefore sometimes I stray. However, this video forced me to look into what I am doing now, what I am pursuing and ask the question, am I living the purpose he has planned for me? With full confidence I can say that I am, but it requires a lot of prayer and seeking after Him to know that I am. Just because I am living my purpose now, does not mean I can just slack off and not worry about it for a while. It is something that I have to constantly strive for and something that I have to constantly pray about. So, what are you living for?
Here is the link to the video that I was talking about, take a look. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86dsfBbZfWs
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