Fear Not

The Puzzle Pieces of The Purpose Tree

By the words they use, we come to immediately recognize when someone's not found their purpose in life. Words are the  heart's overflow. (Matthew 12:34) When they say things like, "Life is random," or "It's all a conspiracy against me," "Nothing ever works out," what they're actually saying is, "I don't see where I fit." It's like finding oneself facing the wrong way on the highway, all the cars coming at you. Most blame the cars

Imagine what an integral part of our proverbial watch would think if it's not where it's supposed to be? From its perspective, everything is chaos. But what it doesn't realize, it's the one creating that chaos by being outside of the natural flow.

The spiritual vision of integrated harmony is a maturity of the body as the whole. As Paul said, we're growing, building up in love. Love is the Building Contractor. And it's the connective tissue that holds all the parts of the body together allowing for graceful, fluid movement.

And in Peter's example, love is the mortar that bonds the bricks together, resulting in a strong church in which God resides.

God lives in us individually and, as we come together, collectively. And He moves in and through us individually, and, as we come together, collectively. We're both His house and the vessel through which He continues building his temple here on earth, just as David helped Solomon do on the threshing floor--the place where the wheat's separated from the chaff.

God's instilled into us before we were born Mark Twain's "Whys," like each of those in service to the temple: Priests, Levites and "every willing person skilled in any craft" that will help in the work in service to building us into God's house here on earth. Our "Why" comes ready equipped with all the people and items needed for its accomplishment, just as David provided to Solomon. God encourages us to be "strong and courageous," which He reemphasizes with the inverse to "not be afraid or discouraged." Why? Because His presence is our source of provision. Having the One means having at hand everything that's in the One.

Knowing this shifts perspective. And during the course of us doing the work, like turning gears to open windows, our inner eyes open. We see the world with new eyes. It's unlimited bounty reveals itself to us.

Many of us have a strong desire to do a specific type of work in life, but fear discourages us from giving up the known (secure, safe) for the unknown. But this is backwards. No security can be found in the known work that does not represent our purpose. And the supposed "unknown" of our purpose is the only known in which we're promised to never be forsaken.

Living our purpose, doing the work, provides us with the highest level of protection that life has to offer.

Committing to our "Why" ignites passion. "Passion" means "suffering." This means that it hurts more to not do the work to which we've been called than it does to do the work. It's because our body, the community of humanity itself, needs it, even if we're not fully aware of just how it fits and contributes at the level of the big picture.

We are a vital piece of the puzzle.

If we have forgotten our "Why," having become bound within someone else's work where we're hiding out, "playing it safe,"  then our purpose is to find our purpose. And when we choose to shift from security to freedom; from F2F, in pursuit of (re)discovering our "Why," this work will too allow God's presence, protection and provision in our lives. He'll help us tear away the pursuits of disservice to self and others through the process of trying many new, inspiring paths until our specific "craft" is uncovered.

Craft is defined as a skill in planning, making, or executing; an occupation requiring special skill. The bible speaks often about God giving people specific skills. He gave Solomon his wisdom to lead. (1 Kings 3:12) And "To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning" (Daniel 1:17). This resulted in Daniel and the young men beating out others for being hired by the king. They were doing what they were meant to do, making them far better at it than those trying to do what they weren't meant to do.

Jesus use the word "talents," equating "money" with how we invest ours. (Matthew 25:14-28)

Putting everything into our purpose with the focus of adding value, edifying those around us, results in an abundance of opportunity. And it's the number of opportunities we create for ourselves by investing our talents that establishes true wealth. And we can't see nor create opportunities without open eyes that 'see.'

Neglecting our desired purpose for work that focuses on doing the bare minimum, just surviving, adding value to nothing and no one, can only erode opportunity and wealth.

These become external representations of internal states. Conditions in neighborhoods, states, countries reflect ideas, attitudes and beliefs predominating in either fear or faith. Just because we're born into a set of circumstances, doesn't mean we 'are' those circumstances. The surrounding environment will only ever become the place we work to get to, each of our gifts meant to lead us to our Promised Land.

But as David told Solomon over and over again: "Do the work."

"I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received" (Ephesians 4:1).