Today we celebrate Martin Luther King Day in which we honor this great man who sacrificed so much. He was a true change agent. What made Martin Luther King so different? I believe it is because he knew his purpose.

I’ve heard John Maxwell say that the two greatest days in your life are the day you were born and the day you discover why. Yet so few people ever experience that second day…discovering why they were born. In fact, William Marston once stated that 94% of people are born and die without ever discovering their purpose. How sad.

Martin Luther King was very clear on his purpose. He found why God had made him and he was willing to die for that vision. In this he found life. William Wallace, who led Scotland to freedom from England’s tyranny, was another such person. In trying to encourage his troups to fight for freedom, for something greater than themselves, he said this in the movie Braveheart, “Every man dies, not every man really lives.” How true.

Jesus didn’t just come to save us from eternal damnation, He came to give us life to the full (see John 10:10). In order to really live, I believe we must discover our purpose, the reason we were born.

If you are searching for your purpose, I would suggest spending some quiet time in the presence of God and asking some questions. Here are some suggested questions to ponder:

  • Is there anything you find easy to do that others find difficult?
  • What are your hobbies?
  • What do you love to do outside of work?
  • What were your favorite subjects in school?
  • What jobs in your past have given you the most satisfaction?
  • What problems in your past have you learned from?
  • Describe a “mountaintop” experience in your life.
  • Have you ever volunteered? If so, what have you done? How did that make you feel?
  • What would you say you have done in your life to grow personally?
  • Can you think of anything that, when you are doing it, time seems to stand still?
  • Is there anything you can think of that others seem to always be asking you or asking you for? (Eg. Help with their problems, simply to listen to them vent, help fixing something, your advice,…)
  • If your life were absolutely perfect, what would it look like?
  • What would you like to be doing in 20 years?
  • What would you like to be said about me at my funeral?
  • What do you do now to grow/learn?
  • Is there anything in the world (injustice) which makes you really angry?…that makes you say, “This can’t be any longer!”?
  • If money was not an issue, what would you do?
  • What do you daydream about?
  • What is a dream you’ve had that you’ve never told to anyone else or that others would laugh at?
  • What would you be willing to die for?

Finding your purpose may take some time, so be patient and be open to what God may be saying to you. After all, it is He who gives you your purpose.

If you find that your purpose doesn’t match up with your current career, don’t fret. Begin to seek God to see what He has planned for you. He might be trying to get you to look at your current career in a different way. I don’t believe that purpose is relegated to a specific career or job. Your purpose can be acted out in a number of ways. No matter what, I would recommend you stay where you are and work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men (Colossians 3:23) until God clearly gives you a new assignment.