What do you do when you need directions to Madison Church or a recipe for a delicious lasagna? What about when you’re dealing with anxiety or depression? Whether it’s something practical like finding directions or something more serious like managing depression, our first instinct is often to turn to a search engine. We “Google” it or use any other preferred search engine, and within seconds, we’re presented with thousands of search results.
However, it’s important to note that these search engines don’t directly answer our questions. Instead, they connect us with potential sources that might have the answers we’re looking for. They excel at this task, and it’s worth acknowledging their role. As a church community, we also have valuable resources around us, so it’s fitting to explore some of the significant questions people search for answers to. Over the next six weeks, in our series “Searching for Answers,” we will address various topics that people often Google.
Today, we’ll tackle the question that many of us ponder: What am I supposed to do with my life?
When people design and build a product, they determine its purpose. Whether it’s Steve Jobs introducing the iPod or Sony creating the Discman, people define the purpose of a product. Similarly, when it comes to understanding our purpose, we must ask why we were created and what our Creator had in mind for us.
In other words, if we want to know what we’re supposed to do with our lives, we have to go back to our Creator—the one who shaped us inside and out. As the psalmist beautifully expresses in Psalm 139, “God intricately formed us and knows us completely, from our conception to birth and throughout every stage of life.”
We are not accidents or random occurrences. Despite our flaws and complexities, we are intentionally and purposefully created.
Moreover, the Bible tells us that we are made in the image of God. When God created human beings, He declared, “Let us make them in our image.” This means that we reflect some of God’s attributes, like love, creativity, and the capacity for relationship. Our identity as children of God forms the foundation for understanding our purpose. We are called to love God with all our being and to love our neighbors as ourselves.
So, what does all this mean for us? It means that our purpose is not solely about a specific job or career path. It’s not limited to a checklist of achievements or a quest for personal success. Our calling is about obedience and the kind of people God wants us to be. Knowing our identity and calling helps us discover and fulfill the work God has prepared for us.
As we embark on this journey of seeking answers together, let’s open our hearts and minds to what God wants to reveal to us. We may not find all the answers immediately, but we can trust that God will guide us and lead us closer to our purpose. Let’s embrace the opportunity to search for answers and grow in our understanding of who God created us to be. Welcome to the “Searching for Answers” series!
