I think that it would be apt if I started this post with an elaborate statistic about how many people search “What was I made for?”. It would pull you in because I’d answer a question that you’ve wondered about yourself, right? I unfortunately have no such statistic- all I got was a song from the Barbie soundtrack. So that was that.
Levity aside; when I survey the world around me, I notice that there’s an incredible amount discourse around self-discovery and the knowledge of self. The answer to those kinds of questions will firstly, inform on what it is that we’re made for (subject to our worldview and ambitions). It would secondly, influence the decisions that we make to arrive at said destination. Considering that we’re discussing the trajectory of our lives, I reckon it’s important to have proper grip of questions around our purpose and identity.
What Was I Made for?
By definition, self-discovery is “the process of acquiring insight into one’s own character.” In the world we can measure our character against our moral code (which again, is subjective and frankly quite dangerous) and use that to determine whether we’re on the correct trajectory for whatever it is that we’re alive to be or do. That is a heavy burden if you consider what happens if you get it wrong and maybe that’s what all of the anxiety around the topic is about. I suppose that the prospect of ‘wasting’ your life is quite stress-inducing.
To finally address what I’ve been alluding to throughout this post. You were made for love, you were made for Jesus. I don’t mean to oversimply things. I know that isn’t necessarily an answer for what you’re made to do vocationally. However, it is the bottom line.
Isaiah 43:1 (NLT) says “But now, O Jacob, listen to the Lord who created you. O Israel, the One who formed you says, “Do not be afraid for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name, you are mine.” Isaiah 43:10b (NLT) says “You have been chosen to know me, believe in me, and understand that I alone am God There is no other God—there never has been, and there never will be.”
The God who is sovereign from eternity to eternity, not only ransoms us but beckons us personally and calls us HIS. You were made to know Him. Objective, therefore true.
The personhood of God and His identity as Lord makes Him enough. That reality does not shift, it does not waver and neither does He.
You were made for God, who is love personified and perfectly embodied. As far as purpose goes, it is to love Him.
Mark 12:29-30 (NLT) “Jesus replied, ‘The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. 30 And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.”
Friend if you only ever do one thing, let it be this. You can do it with the certainty that it is what you were made to do. Do this, and the wisdom of God can guide a more practical answer for what you were made for.
