Flourishing Questions
September 9, 2023
“Always be joyful. Never stop praying, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)
Have you ever spent time considering what God’s purpose is for your life?
“What career should I pursue?”
“What school district should we live in?”
“Should we take this job and move to this state?”
“What should we do with our money?”
“When is the big break coming?”
“When is it going to be time to step into my purpose?”
All very big, and very important questions.
And if we’re not careful, these purpose-driven questions can produce more drift in our lives than purpose driven living.
Drift is to move aimlessly at the mercy of external circumstances. It is to allow our internal state to be dominated by externalities.
It’s very easy to drift into a state of languishing when all of these big, extremely important questions are left unanswered.
It’s easy to focus on the abstract, and neglect the concrete in the present moment. That is what drift does.
Drift will always force us to forfeit intentionality in the present moment.
It’s as if we explore all the grand plans of life, we exempt ourselves from having to take responsibility for how we show up to today.
Am I directing my mind toward joy? Or am I bitter and agitated all the time?
Am I connecting my mind and soul back to God? Or am I navigating life as if I am a self-made success?
Am I thankful for what is happening in my life in every circumstance - recognizing that some circumstances build my character and some circumstances build my competency? Or am I daily sowing an attitude of complaining, frustrated that struggle and delays would even be a part of life?
These are the present moment questions that are of supreme importance if we are truly interested in living into our purpose.
These are flourishing questions.
The types of questions that prompt us into growth and vibrancy.
Because they direct us to be mindful of the present moment.
It’s certainly important to dream and consider all the grand plans that God has for our lives. Absolutely essential to living a life on purpose. Absolutely essential in pointing us in the right direction.
But that exploration should never come at the expense of our internal state and agency we have over how we show up to our daily lives - today.
To neglect the day-to-day and sit waiting for the abstract to be answered would be to willingly enter into a drifting life.
Our purpose is only revealed in our day-to-day life.
How we show up today IS our life.