Calm My Anxious Heart, chapter 7

We're more than halfway through Calm My Anxious Heart! Here are the earlier chapters: chapter 1, chapter 2, chapter 3, chapter 4, chapter 5, and chapter 6.

Live life, then, with a due sense of responsibility, not as men who do not know the meaning and purpose of life but as those who do. Make the best use of your time, despite all the difficulties of these days. Don’t be vague but firmly grasp what you know to be the will of God.

Ephesians 5:15-17 (Phillips)

Here's another difficult topic for me: a life purpose statement. Naturally, I am the type who plans and thinks about everything, but life's twists and turns (and my wonderful husband) have changed me into a much more go-with-the-flow kind of person. (And that flexibility is good.) But I don't want to give up being intentional, just because I need to be flexible.

Linda Dillow identifies lack of purpose as one of the main barriers to peace and contentment. Sadly, I can't find my notes from either time when I went through this book and study before, so I feel like I need to start over. Did I even write out a purpose statement then? I can't remember. She gives examples of life purpose statements from historical figures and four of her own friends. I love the creativity and diversity those show!

Phyllis [different Phyllis, obviously not me :-)] chose to live her life purposefully, faithfully, creatively, and paradoxically. Jean visualized her life as a tree that she asked God to continually prune. Ney chose two verses and a prayer that started her life purpose. Mimi identified who she wanted to be when she was an eighty-year-old woman, and then she identified specific steps to reach her goal (page 110).

I don't really have anything that I can share about my own purpose in life. I want to, but I'm not ready right now. There is a prayer by Betty Stam, quoted here, that I came across in my formative years; if I were to use someone else's words for my own purpose, these would be good ones:

Lord, I give up all my own plans and purposes, all my own desires and hopes, and accept Thy will for my life. I give myself, my life, my all utterly to Thee to be Thine forever. Fill me and seal me with Thy Holy Spirit. Use me as Thou wilt, send me where thou wilt, work out Thy whole will in my life at any cost, now and forever (pages 103-104).

I'll close with one more quote:

My friend, will you pray, then take pen and paper and ask God to show you your life purpose statement? ...Start with one statement or a Bible verse that describes what you believe about God and His plan for you.... If you can't think of a verse or sentence, borrow an idea.... Remember what you write will be a beginning (pages 110-111).

I really hope to get feedback on this post! Do you have a life purpose statement? Would you be willing to share it with us? How did you come to choose it?