Finding Purpose
Stop trying to “figure it out” on your own. Explore how to identify patterns in your life that reveal your true kingdom mission.
Looking back; my life has been full of caretaking, protecting, rescuing, investigating, teaching, abuse, fleeing from situations that are not healthy. I’ve had some pretty traumatic events take place in my life.
What have I done with all these things?
What is a healthy way to release all that I have endured?
Navigating
Navigating a deep process of reflection on how your past experiences—both the difficult and the restorative—shape your current mission. Here is a breakdown of how to connect those dots and “figure out” our purpose:
1. Identify the Patterns
I mentioned a history of caretaking, protecting, and investigating, alongside enduring trauma. These aren’t just events; they are refined skills and spiritual markers.
- The Skills: Ability to rescue or investigate suggests a purpose rooted in advocacy or helping others navigate “unhealthy situations.”
- The Pain: Experience with abuse and trauma provides the empathy needed to speak to those still in the “fleeing” stage.
2. Utilize the “Pressure Release Valve”
A vital truth: I cannot find my purpose if I am “bottled up.”
- Mourning as a Tool: Mourning is an act of “cleansing and healing.” Purpose often emerges clearly only after we’ve allowed ourselves to externally express internal sorrow.
- Release to Receive: Letting go of the “shameful self-image” through prayer and expression, creates space for “supernatural spiritual growth.”
3. Shift from Self-Effort to Alignment
The prayer at the end of this post offers a powerful strategy for finding purpose:
- Renounce Self-Strength: Stop trying to “figure it out” through sheer willpower.
- Seek Alignment: Purpose is often found in “communion” rather than a destination. It is the “body being found fully fit” to carry out kingdom duties.
4. Redefine “Incompetence”
Incompetence is being “inadequate for a given purpose.” In a spiritual context, we are all “incompetent” in our own strength. Our purpose is likely found exactly where my human strength ends and my “trust in His strength” begins.
To bridge the gap between being “inadequate for a purpose” and the spiritual strength found in the closing prayer, you can use a transition that highlights how our personal limitations are actually the starting point for divine partnership.
From Incompetence to Divine Alignment
The world defines incompetence as being inadequate or insufficient for a task, in our spiritual journey, admitting this “insufficiency” is actually the key to unlocking our true potential. We often struggle because we are trying to drive the “manual transmission” of our lives without knowing how to work the gears in our own strength.
When we acknowledge that we are, in our own power, inadequate for the high calling of our purpose, we stop the exhausting cycle of self-effort. This realization acts as the final click of the pressure release valve, allowing us to move from frustration into a state of alignment. We don’t have to “figure it out” because we were never meant to carry the weight alone. Instead, we trade our incompetence for His excellence through the following prayer:
A Prayer for Alignment and Strength
Surrendering Self-Effort
- Lord, we thank You for being our great provider.
- We lay aside all self-effort and self-focus, desiring to live entirely in Your identity.
- Forgive us for living in our own strength; we renounce living apart from You and propose to acknowledge You in all things.
Healing and Possession
- We choose to rest in Your strength, trusting You to work in and through us for Your good pleasure.
- Circumcise our hearts to live for You alone and heal every soul wound that seeks to serve self.
- Spirit of Holiness, come fill us and possess us fully.
Restoration and Purpose
- Restore all lost time and catch us up to fulfill Your plans and purposes.
- Pour out a fresh anointing, causing supernatural spiritual growth and maturity.
- Bring us into complete alignment with Your word, Your will, and Your ways.
Declaration of Readiness
- We declare that the body will be found fully fit, spiritually mature, and prepared to carry out all kingdom duties with love, joy, and excellence.
- Thank You for Your goodness, faithfulness, and for granting us access to Your glorious riches, presence, provision, protection, and perfect health.
- In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.
Walking Forward in Purpose
Finding our purpose isn’t about having all the answers or suddenly becoming “competent” by the world’s standards. It is about the daily choice to release the pressure of our past, mourn what needs to be healed, and step into the strength that is provided for us. Your history of caretaking, protecting, and even your seasons of fleeing have all been preparing you for a unique mission that only you can fulfill—not through your own might, but through divine alignment.
Reflect & Connect
- What “pressure valve” do you need to open today?
- In what area of your life are you ready to trade “self-effort” for “alignment”?
I would love to hear from you in the comments below. Share one pattern from your past that you now see as a “refined skill” for your future.
