In our quest for personal growth and fulfillment, we often overlook the power of embracing our current circumstances. My journey from a preacher to a television program director and back again taught me valuable lessons about recognizing purpose, embracing roles, and enjoying the fruits of success. Let me share how these principles can transform your life.
Recognizing Your Purpose: The Foundation of Growth
Our purpose is often hidden in plain sight, woven into the fabric of our talents, skills, abilities, and opportunities. However, recognizing it can be challenging, especially when we're focused on what we think we should be doing rather than what we're meant to do. This may be because we have lessons to learn before we can move forward. Those lessons should be taken seriously so that we do not keep repeating problems we create. Those problems can often be handled simply by creating a sense of self-awareness.
My Story: From Pulpit to Production
After losing my job as a preacher, I found myself in a role that felt inferior to my interests. I landed working with a church that I love, but I was not preaching and this very much bothered me. I was asked to take over as director for a television preaching program. I was editing and fund raising. The job was wonderful. The people were wonderful to work with. It was a great place to be! But for several years, I struggled to find contentment, constantly seeking a way back to the pulpit. Little did I know, this new position was preparing me for important life lessons.
Embracing Your Roles: Finding Peace in the Present
Once we recognize our purpose, the next step is to fully embrace our current roles, even if they seem misaligned with our long-term goals.
The Turning Point: Learning to Be Content
It took me more than three years to learn to be content where I was. I finally embraced my role in the television program, putting in genuine effort and refusing to look for preaching positions elsewhere. This shift in mindset led to a profound change in my prayers and outlook on life.
Enjoying and Sharing the Fruits of Success
When we align our actions with our purpose and fully embrace our roles, we often find unexpected success and fulfillment. The lessons I learned in that time were invaluable and opened more doors than I could imagine! For a detailed look on one of the greatest lessons I learned about the harm of "avoidance" in personal and profession growth, look here.
The Irony of Acceptance
Ironically, it was only when I fully accepted and embraced my new role that God opened the door for me to return to preaching. This experience taught me that sometimes, we're placed in situations simply to learn important life lessons. I had to learn to trust God and be content to do what was in front of me, embracing my newfound roles and being the man God wanted me to be in that situation.
Applying These Principles to Your Life
It's important for you to learn this same lesson. I have found that it's a key that many men miss. We get so caught up in how we think life should be that we fail to realize that God has a plan for us. He knows what is best for us and what we can do better than many others. We are needed in the capacity we were created to fill. That's true whether in places of great honor or places that seem less honorable and maybe even seem to be beneath us.
Think about how you can apply this lesson:
- Reflect on your talents, skills, and opportunities. How might they point to your purpose?
- Embrace your current role, even if it seems temporary or misaligned with your goals.
- Look for ways to find fulfillment and success in your present circumstances.
- Be open to the lessons each experience offers, as they may be preparing you for your next chapter.
Personal growth often comes from unexpected places. By recognizing our purpose, embracing our roles, and sharing our successes, we open ourselves to profound transformation. Remember, sometimes the journey itself is the destination.
Are you struggling to find purpose in your current role? Share your experiences in the comments below, and let's discuss how we can apply these principles to find greater fulfillment in our lives.
I'm Jason Sparks and I empower men aged 30-45 to overcome self-sabotaging behaviors and find purpose through a holistic approach to personal development, integrating spiritual growth, career stability, and natural healing methods. Join me on Facebook for free. JOIN
David Sudhoff is a wonderful teacher and preacher in my humble opinion. He provokes my thoughts towards strength in studying the word in order to grow. He is an encouragement to me! Thank you, David!
I get down on myself because I don't give the process of growth time.. to work within my own life and the lives of those I minister to.
That is my biggest issue.." am I doing enough/ am I good enough"
I do, when my mind is clear and centered, that I am in an enviroment that is teaching me for furture opertunities for growth and self reflection. I need to be more patient with myself and others.
"Am I good enough/doing enough" has two basic answers. The first answer is most likely, "You are." We tend to think that our contributions must be herculean, or like a superhero, but those are fictional characters. We humans give what we can and contribute our best and then realize that it could always be better. It could be worse too though.
The second answer is "You're not 'enough'. But you don't have to be enough." There is no one person who is enough to fill all the holes and do all the things of perfection. We lean on God and trust in His ability to work through imperfect people to accomplish His perfect plan.
I think the key to being more patient with yourself and others is to remember that God IS enough and He can accomplish everything without any of us.