My Life's Purpose

Who am I? What does God wants me to be? Where is this life leading me? For the past twenty-one years of my existence, there are times that I ask these questions to myself. Asking may be a hard thing to do, but answering is much harder. Perhaps, one step for me to find the answers is to look back…

As a daughter and sister, my parents raised me as a selfless, respectful, and God-fearing person. When they scold me or when I observe how they treat themselves and others through their words and actions, I realize that God is in them. They have been a good model and teacher to me, as what Psalm 25:9 says regarding our Lord: “He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way.”

As a friend, they taught me to be understanding, to accept others the way they are, and to freely express myself. We learn from each other. Whenever I’m with my friends or with other people, I am able to represent myself as a child of God, as the verse says: “…and whatever you do or say, let it be as a representative of the Lord Jesus, all the while giving thanks through him to God the Father.”(Colossians 3:17)

After reminiscing and reflecting all that has happened to me, another question popped in my mind. “Have I lived my life to the fullest?” --- Another question which I find difficult to answer.

Given the “scale of living my life” from 1-10, where 1 as the least and 10 as the fullest, I can rate it as 7. I have not really experienced much about life. To experience life for me means to see beautiful places, to appreciate nature, to try something new for myself, to decide what really makes me happy and contented, to give back the love and care my family and friends have given me, to share to others my blessings, and to not being afraid of taking risks.

I have been a play-safe person because I am afraid to try things that I feel I cannot do. However, I realized that having this mindset will never help me live my life to the fullest. To be able to live to the fullest, I should learn to be a risk-taker to things which I know will make me become a better person, and to pray to God and ask for His guidance.

Despite the many issues this present life encounters, such as poverty, war and terrorism, these should not serve as a hindrance. Instead, they must be treated as a purpose for living. This calls for action in each one of us. Helping others would make God happy just as what the verse from Deuteronomy 15:11 says, “There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be open-handed toward your brothers and toward the people and needy in your land.”

There is always a feeling of self-fulfilment when we do so. Just like what my parents do to our relatives and to others, they help without hesitation. This taught me to help as well, especially if I have something to share for them, all I just have to do is to take action and be initiative. For God has commanded us according to Matthew 22:39, “The second most important commandment is like: ‘Love your neighbour as you love yourself’.”

These things made me hope for the best for me so I could be able to give back to God what He has given me. The things in my past, from the experiences to the teachings, will serve as my treasures and inspiration so I could be able to encompass life’s challenges in the future. All I have to do is to learn from my mistakes and to continue to ask for God’s help.

“You chart the path ahead of me and tell me where to stop and rest.

Every moment you know where I am. You both precede and follow me.

You place your hand of blessing on my head.”

(Psalm 139:3, 5)

*this is a Theological reflection paper for my Theology 104 class submitted 05 Jan. 2011. ;)