A single scripture in 2 Corinthians has fueled my God-given mission like no other: “But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.” 2 Corinthians 12:9
Growing up in the 90’s, I often heard people talk about how figuring out God’s will for your life is the most important thing you need to do. Being so young with most of my life-defining decisions still to make, I longed to know what God’s will for me was. The search for my God-given mission quickly turned into a stressful and confusing journey. Questions filled my mind: What if I misunderstand His will for me? What if I don’t have what it takes to do what God wants me to do? What if I make a decision that cripples my capacity to fulfill God’s plan for my life?
Do you notice a pattern in the questions above? Yes, they are all plagued with the pronoun “I”. When searching for our God-given mission, problems usually start when we focus on ourselves instead of God. It is like having one piece of a thousand-piece puzzle without the rest of the pieces or the picture of the result. You may know all the details of the little piece you hold in your hand, but you have no idea what it is part of and where it fits.
Not sure what your purpose even is yet? Start here →
Let me give you a little help in your search for your God-given mission.
Here is the big picture of the puzzle: God’s plan is to bring glory to His Son Jesus by saving people from every nation that will worship and enjoy Him forever. That is the what the Bible is about. That is what God is doing right now in the world. He could use holy, perfect, mighty angels to accomplish such a plan. But He decided to use men and women. Each one of us has a God-given mission in life playing a role in that plan. With such loving purpose, God has equipped every child of His with skills, experiences, spiritual gifts and personality. All those ingredients add up for a unique, one-of-a-kind person, a piece in the puzzle that is like no other with a God-given mission in His plan to save people.
Now, let’s look at one little piece of the puzzle, you. What are some life-lessons God has taught you? Can you think of a couple of times when God showed up for you? What did you experience of His character? Maybe His love, mercy, grace, power, kindness? Write those experiences down and what you witnessed of our God.
What do you enjoy doing? What are your hobbies, passions, desires? What people are you surrounded with when you do what you love? Maybe you are an artist and visit galleries often. What opportunities to serve others can you find there? Are there ways to love people in your community that maybe no one has noticed but you? What skills do you have? Maybe things you went to school to learn, or wisdom that was passed on to you by somebody in your life. Those are means you can use to show the love of God to others so they can benefit from your training or professional services.
Have people in church commended something in you? That could be one of your spiritual gifts! Spiritual gifts are ways that the Holy Spirit builds up Christ’s church by using God’s people on God-given mission. And most of the time, such gifts are used outside of the walls of our churches. Some of the spiritual gifts we find in the Bible are: teaching (maybe you are good at helping others understand the Bible); helping (maybe you enjoy being useful to others).
Want to discover what spiritual gifts you have? Take the free Spiritual Gifts Test here!
What if your God-given mission doesn’t seem to make sense?
Up to this point, you and I can agree that God can use all of those parts of who we are. But I have found in my own life and talking to many others, that usually it is our personality which we fail to see and believe that God can use. Back in the 90’s I did a spiritual gifts and personality test in which the results didn’t match. On one side, the test confirmed my calling to preach God’s word. On the other side, the test said I was too introverted to become a preacher, and that I would need to find a behind-the-scenes ministry!
I was confused and devastated. I thought I had done something wrong. I double checked my answers and the chart at the back of the book. But there were no mistakes. The other people in the room seemed excited at the results they got. Not me. I wanted with all my heart to preach the Word. But it seemed that I was not wired for such a God-given mission. I prayed in that place. Sitting on my chair, with my hands on my face, I asked God to use me despite what seemed unsolvable to me. The words of God to the Apostle Paul came to my mind: “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.”
God’s grace is sufficient for whatever mission He gives us!
There is nothing wrong with being part of a “behind-the-scenes” ministry, but here is where it all comes together. My skill set was already pointing to a preaching ministry, the opportunities I had had in my life were pointing with that direction, my training was to preach the Word, but God gave me a personality that makes room for His power to be displayed. On my own, without God’s power (also called grace as in 2 Corinthians 12:9), I cannot stand in front of people and talk, but Christ in me can, and He does many times per month.
Stop looking at the mirror to discover your God-given mission, look at God’s Word, see the big picture and how nothing has ever stopped our God from doing what He wants to do. Look at the Bible and see His power that overcomes absolutely everything, including the personality of those He calls to salvation and service. You are a piece of the puzzle, take your place in it!