IlluminateHer

There is Pain in Purpose

Can you have purpose without pain? Does your life truly have meaning if you’ve never had to go through any rough patches? The answer is “NO”!

When trying to recognize your purpose, one thing you must ask yourself is, “What moments in my life have brought me to tears?”….Think about what was going on when you asked God, “Why me?”

Pain has a purpose. If you are able to go through the fire, and come through the fwith nothing more than a scratch or some other HEALED wound, then it is now your responsibility to help others get through a similar situation. If you are not HEALED I’d be careful about offering advice to others because it may not be coming from the purest of places.

Remember, we all have very unique gifts and talents, but we also have different levels of strength for different situations. We just have to be willing to dig in and help when we see others who need it.

Don’t be afraid to look your pain in the eye. So many people want to avoid it because it hurts, but if you continue to avoid it you will never find the treasure that lies in your trial.

Boundaries

How do boundaries affect our purpose? If we have loose or nonexistent boundaries it will surely impact our purpose.

Not being able to say “no” or feeling guilty about saying it means that we have issues with putting our needs before that of others. While this may seem like the Christian thing to do, we need to think again!

Allowing others to manipulate and control us puts a barrier between us and God . It lets Him know that our priorities lie in pleasing man, not God.

If we can’t put God first, how can he truly trust us with something as special and sacred as our purpose? If we can’t love ourselves enough to say “no” how will we get through the numerous boundaries that will come to knock us off our path?

We won’t and that’s why we continue to struggle with this purpose thing…We’re not ready!

Who do You Enjoy Spending Time With?

There are a lot of things that can provide insight to your purpose. Think about the people you enjoy being around. What are the qualities they possess that make you look forward to being in their presence? What situations have you experenced with them that brought you joy? How do they push you to become a better you?

Now, imagine that you were able to spend time with them everyday. How would that change your work environment? What type of work would you be doing with them?

It all ties together. Isn’t that awesome? Isn’t God awesome? He really wants you to get it! You finding your purpose is a great gift for Him, and the best gift for you.

Trust in the Process

Many of my clients want to know what their future holds. Isn’t that funny? We want to know so much, yet if we did what good would it do, especially if we have no power to change it…

Whatever journey God has placed you on is yours to own! Asking the whys, whens, wheres, and how comes, are human nature, but we also must know that having complete trust means there will be things you just don’t know.

When you are at work, aren’t there people on your team who are on a need-to-know basis? If you are a parent, aren’t there some things you just don’t want your children to know right now?

It’s because you already know how they are going to react to the information. Perhaps there are not ready to handle it right now, but in time they will be. There is a process that many of us want to skip, but have to go through, and you just have to know that God knows you, your temperament, your attitude and your mindset better than you do. He’s looking out for your greater good, and knows that you will be better equipped, once you’ve completed your process.

Isn’t it wonderful to know that He cares so deeply for us? That we are truly protected from ourselves in Him…

Trust in the process…Finding treasure in your trials!

Purpose is Scary, Difficult & Rewarding

If you think pursuing your purpose is going to be easy, let me change your mind! Following your purpose is the scariest, most difficult, yet most rewarding thing you will ever do.

Now, you have to understand that God has given you your purpose. There are many forces (including your own character flaws) that will try to kick you off your path.

We want the glory, but we don’t want to do the work! We want the payoff, but we don’t want to deal with the pain that comes with being refined, and plowing through the trenches. So how do we do it? How do we get to our purpose?

Thankfully we’ve all been gifted in a unique way. Each one of us has special gifts and talents that help us on our path to finding purpose. I’m a gifted speaker, so when I have to deliver a message to the masses, this gift comes in handy. I also love telling stories, so when I have to connect with people, inspire people, motivate people and challenge people, this gift comes in handy!

Discovering your purpose is the easy part! Pursuing your purpose is what sets us back because we are COMFORTABLE with COMPLACENCY…Stop looking for comfort and just move forward!!!!!

Do it afraid! Do it even though it’s difficult…Do it despite the rewards!

Do it because it’s what God designed you to do!

God vs. Louis Vuitton

Did you ever wonder how not knowing your Purpose affects your spending habits? I have a friend who loves to travel, enjoys top shelf alcohol, Louis bags and luxury vehicles. Every time we talk she’s on to the next “new” thing.

She says she loves God but she is not a religious person. She does not believe you can truly know or have a relationship with God. But if God didn’t want us to know Him we wouldn’t have the desire to.

So, we consume things to make ourselves feel good. We have complete control over the way we spend our money, and it’s directly tied to our self worth, self esteem, and values.

This doesn’t mean that you should never buy anything expensive. In many cases you get what you pay for. But sometimes you are only paying for the name…the brand…the $700 vinyl bag…

We are really longing for acceptance, love and adoration. Did you know that God is crazy about you, and wants to give you all of those things? So before you get ready to impress the world with the latest creation from Louis, don’t you think you need to be more concerned with impressing God? 

There is no buyer’s remorse, and you will never regret making such a sound investment!

What is Purpose?

So you keep hearing a little voice inside, asking you “What’s next?” Sometimes it gets down right indignent, and asks “Is this it?”

You get the sudden urge to do more, to truly experience life, to give back, to be part of a cause, or simply to help people.

You feel stuck in a dead end job, that wasn’t always so dead end. At one point you actually enjoyed your job, but now the new car smell has worn off, and your job has become nothing more than a vehicle that allows you to pay bills, go to the grocery store, and occasionally the mall.

Sound familiar? Of course it does! So many of us have felt it, but have chosen to do nothing…

That nagging feeling is your Purpose. It calls for you, causing an aching inside because God created your desire for it! He wants you to be the person He created you to be.

Your Purpose is waiting for you, and until you answer the call, expect the agony sometimes referred to as life, to continue.