Tag Archives: purpose

Bible study group’s real purpose

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When I think of all the friends I have had over the years, it is amazing to me. So many people who took the time to come into my life, and share their life with me. I like to think they all had gifts they shared with me and I learned something from all of them. Some of what I have learned is wonderful, and some of it was painful. I hope I was able to show them something of value to their life too.

What is a puzzle to me is the number of people who offered to enter into my life as friends, and I turned them down. Sometimes, it was nothing more than I was busy doing something I knew they did not enjoy, so we never took our possible friendship any further. I know they had their gifts to bring into the friendship, but I will never know what they were.

When I was first out of high school, and at college, I found myself a little short on friends. I took the initiative to go out and make some friends. One of the first things I did was say yes when someone invited me to a weekly bible study. I did not know how most people would think about bible study, but I looked at it with suspicion. I had read the bible completely cover to cover once by that time; but what I read was nothing like the AM radio preachers would rant and rave about late on night AM radio. So I saw bible study the same way…with suspicion.

I wanted friends though, and here was a chance to become better friends with the person that invited me, and the others that would be there. There was just one thing that was a problem for bible study. I did not have a bible with me at college. Why let a little thing like that stop me, I thought, so I went to the next weekly bible study. There were about fifteen of us there, and it was more like a wake than a bible study group. And me, the only person present without a bible. The leader made it simple for my benefit. He would call out the chapter and verse, and then read the passage for my benefit. Then he would ask what that portion was in reference too, and the circumstance around it.

The next week’s study group were rather odd I thought. A question would be raised, I would raise my hand, and answer. Silence would follow as everyone else looked down at the pages on their desks. I went a third time, deciding I was hogging the floor, I made a conscious effort to not answer any questions the leader asked. No one else answered any questions either. I did not go after that, although my new friend came by, and asked me why. I told him, that I did not see the point in my going, I was the only person there without a bible, and I was the only person answering any questions.

The bible study broke up a few weeks after that, the participants said they were there to learn, and they didn’t have any opinions on the various parts of the bible discussed. They thought I was an expert, and they were listening to my version of things. I had thought the purpose all along was discussion, but it did not seem right, me doing most of the talking without a bible to read from.

Thinking back on those study group meetings, it was meant for me to be there, and lead the conversation. None of the people there had much if any religious upbringing, and everything was new to them. They did not feel comfortable discussing thoughts with someone who did not even have a bible in front of them. It did not matter that I had no bible. It did not really matter that I was working from memory, and my own perspective of what was written. What I did do was provide a glue that kept the group together, that was my purpose of being there. And I thought I was looking for friendship.

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You failed, who cares

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I am always fascinated by the people who are so cemented in themselves, they end up in a repeating spiral of misery and frustration, trying to do something which they were not meant to do, and will never do acceptably no matter how hard they try and want to.

The one thing that is keeping them from becoming what they want is they were never meant for what they desire to start with. Everyone early in their lifetime should sit down and evaluate who they really are, and what their purpose in this life is. It really is not that difficult; if we are only truthful with ourselves it is quite easy.

For example, once I wanted to be a sprinter. I wanted to pound my way down the track and feel the wind rush by on my face. The best I ever did was a seven minute mile. At that speed there is nothing really rushing by you except the people who were built to be runners. The same end result occurred when I wanted to play in a band. I played an instrument for over a year, and never really should have been moved from the last and third chair. When the band director had a bad day, I made it to the first chair, for about fifteen minutes. I had about the same result with Art class, and Spanish class. There are some things I will never be.

I can accept this and move on. Someone else will sprint, make music, do impressive artful things, speak two or more languages, and so on – I won’t be one of them though. In the world of belief systems, I will never be world class either, but I can live with all my faults. I am what I am, and that is good enough for me. I see no need to torture myself over something I will never be or was never meant to be.

I am not advocating being a quitter, I am suggesting once you give something the best you have, and you do not make your own grade, rather than punishing yourself, perhaps it is time to think about what you are trying to accomplish? In all things, someone has to be first, and someone has to be last. Most of us end up somewhere in the middle. That is where I ended up with my skiing. I skied once in an official race, a downhill slalom to be exact, with real prizes. I was not last, but I also was a long away from being first.

I enjoy doing these things I mentioned, I did not get frustrated and whine because I am not the best. Perhaps I should have thrown some items away though. I remember an oil painting I did in art class. I brought it home, and my Mother asked me what it was? I said it was a waterfall, the one at a favorite river we used to trout fish at. She said, “Oh yes, of course”, and hung it on the wall upside down.

Whenever you find yourself trying too hard at a specific thing and not achieving the results you want, maybe it is time to stop and think about it. Only a very few are almost perfect at anything. Most of us are okay at many things. There are a few things we will never be any good at no matter what. If there is a dream you have wanted all your life, and you can not seem to achieve it, maybe it was intended to stay a dream? Maybe your example of giving it your best is all that was intended for you to do?

Accepting your faults is not quitting, it is being human. In many ways it is letting opportunity in, because once you have let something go, you open yourself up to possibility. Possibility may lead you to your true nature, where you will excel at what you were meant to be.

There will always be people waiting to tell you how bad you are. You do not have to join in with them them. Be your own cheering section! Focus on those things you are good at and be happy!

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The young adult life purpose helper

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When we are born the world revolves around us. We are hungry, cold, tired, and so on. The basic things we need for our own survival consumes our world as infants, and as children. Entering school, we are a damp sponge waiting to be filled with knowledge. Our school system is intended to feed us the knowledge we need to be fiscally productive members of society. But that is not a life purpose, to be a skilled robot in the workforce. Everything in our life served a life purpose, but not the type we are looking for at this moment in our life.

If our parents belonged to some formal religion, and both practiced and attended, it is likely that we also received some level formal religious training. As we grew, we entered into different levels of religious training, but it is for the most part a one way feed of receive and regurgitate system of learning. This learning taught us a life style, but not a life purpose.

One day school is over, we have a McJob, or we arrive at a point in our life where we relax and look around. At this point we look around, and see that some people out there seem to have a mission that drives them and makes them happy. Many of us unfortunately do not have this built in mission. Suddenly we feel empty, and without purpose when it does not become immediately apparent to us what our life purpose is.

I wish to reassure you it is completely normal to feel this way. You do not need a life purpose right at this moment. You already have a life purpose going on in your life. For some of us this stage may last a day, for others it will be the rest of our life.

This stage we enter when we raise our heads, look around and realize for the first time in our life, there is more to the world than just us. People out there seem to have a life purpose but we do not seem to have one! This is the point when the posts appear, and all the questions are asked about life purpose, and how to find it.

If someone you know is at this stage, or you are here, there are probably a few major things going on in your life? The first is you no longer need to learn anything formally unless you wish to. Relationships with others also become strained at this point because suddenly you are figity, inside and out. This usually happens before you are even aware of it. All this thinking is sometimes painful, and it seems like a complete waste of your life and your energy. It really is important to do this thinking, as it is one of those pay now, or pay later parts of your life.

The best thing to do at this point is take the time to really learn about you. Find out about the person you really are. As you learn about you, you will find out many important things about you. What is acceptable and what is not have changed over time in the different venues of your life. Decide what you expect from your life in future years. What will make you happy inside, and let you feel good about yourself? This is ‘the’ purpose in your life at this time. Do a good job of learning about you, enjoying the exploration of you as a life purpose, and the rest will of your life will be emotionally richer, and fulfilling.

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Life’s purpose, and life lessons

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I had a few extra minutes on my break yesterday after I finished eating lunch. I decided to read a blog, something I do not usually do. No real reason why, some are very interesting, and should be fun to read. Maybe when I have more free time I will do more blog reading myself.

As things go, in this particular blog there was a request for information, and I had some of what the blog owner wanted. I gave what I had that was pertinent to their request, and still had a  few free minutes. I noticed there was a story section on the list of things to do while visiting this blog. I clicked on the story link, looked at the choices and picked one of them. Some things we read can bring up some pretty powerful emotions, and this story hit me hard. I did not get to finish it all, maybe later.

I do know I could have written a similar story myself. My comment is not meant as something negative, or the idea that the story is a run of the mill read. It is just that after the first few sentences I knew exactly what the author was feeling when they wrote the story. I knew what would come next, not the exact wording but the general flow. There was a twist that surprised me as I read, and I am happy for that. But the story sure rocked me to my toes.

All of us are here for a special purpose, even though we may not know what that is, or what we are to do. Some people spend their whole life, and never even think they have a purpose here. Others are only too aware of why they are here and what they have to do. For some of those folks, it is a very hard road they travel at times. It seems to me, the story author and myself are traveling different roads with the same purpose. There are differences in our approach because we are individuals after all, but the journey is the same.

One thing interesting about going on a journey, or relating a journey to someone else. I can tell you where I have been, and I can take you there, but I can’t take you where I am going. This is a difficulty the author of the story and myself share perhaps. You can not take people where you are going, and I can not take you where I am going. We each must travel on our own because our path is where we need to go. We can only show another person our path, but a journey can only be taken by the one to whom the path belongs.

When an animal has spent most of its life in captivity, they forget that the world beyond the edge of their view is real, and there is more out there than the little they see from their cage area. But people, just like animals, will seldom venture beyond their cage even if the door is left open. The cage represents safety and security because it is familiar. It may not be the best, it may be a hardship, but it is known and that makes it safe.

I imagine, you are wondering why I did not identify the blog or the story? It is not for any other reason than when you are where you are supposed to be, will find your own story. If you are not on the same path, and you read a different story, it will mean nothing to you. You may even think it was a bad story having nothing to do with your world. You do have a purpose here. You may not know or remember what it is. You may have already accomplished it, only you know – and then only sometime.

Today, as I swirl about in the clouds of my memories this story brought up, take a few minutes of quiet time, and try to remember what your purpose of being here is. It may make your life more fulfilling.

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