Three seconds remain on the clock. The score is tied and he steps up to the foul line. The shouts from the courtside rush into his ears making his heart beat faster. A bead of sweat hits the polished wooden floor. He knows the World Championship hangs in the balance on this next shot. Three bounces on the ground calm his hands and he spins the ball backwards. The crowd becomes silent as he lifts the ball above his head and lets it go. As he watches the ball release, flashes from the cameras blind the arena. The ball travels over the front of the rim and…HE SCORES! The crowd goes wild as they stand to their feet! His team rushes the court and hoists him over their shoulders in victory crying out, “We are the champions!”
Fantasy shots…we all have been there. And when the ball misses, we pick it up and try it again. It may not be shooting hoops in your driveway, but it’s something. Maybe it was singing into a hairbrush in front of the mirror as you pretended to be on stage in front of thousands. There was something that made you feel complete, even if it was only for a moment. Why is it that so many people fall short of their dreams?
As we get older it seems like the destination of our dreams gets further and further away. After all, who dreams of getting stuck in mid-level management under a boss that doesn’t care about them? How many business owners started with dreams of barely scraping by and struggling to make payroll week after week? They never planned for it to happen that way, but neither did God.
“‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future’” (Jeremiah 29:11, NIV). God not only has plans for us, but also created us with unique talents and abilities to equip us for a purpose. That purpose may not be to sink the winning shot or perform in front of thousands, but it will be your purpose. The greatest responsibility we have as Christians is to fulfill God’s purpose for our lives. The quest to find that purpose should consume us.
If you’re struggling to find your God-given purpose, you might ask yourself these questions:
What are you passionate about? These are things that bring you great joy or righteous anger; things you’d like to pour your life into; and things that, if completed, would bring you a sense of significance.
What are you good at? These are the gifts and talents that God has given you – areas where you have experienced success.
What have your life experiences prepared you for? Lives are made up of victories and failures. God never wastes time or experiences. Your life is a unique set of experiences that prepares you for the future.
Most likely when you find the answers to these questions, you will become much more aware of your God-given purpose. The quiet time you spend with God will be more productive when you can see how God is currently working in your life through everyday circumstances. It is these daily situations that are so integral to God’s plan and our purpose.
Most of us spend more than forty hours a week in the marketplace. How productive would those hours be if they were purpose-filled? We see people in the workplace that are either searching for their purpose or are just simply watching as their lives pass by. We are commanded by God to run the race with the purpose to win! “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize” (1 Corinthians 9:24, NIV). The marketplace is a big mission field, and we have the ability as ambassadors of Christ to affect it greatly.
With this in mind, we can begin fulfilling God’s purpose by living in obedience to Him and pursuing those dreams that He has placed in our hearts. When we live like this we are being a witness for God to those who may not know Him. This is what truly gives purpose to our lives, because anything less than following God’s plan will be deemed irrelevant and insignificant. Remember that your dream was to make the winning shot – not run out the clock.
John Faulkner is the founder and President of Cornerstone Solutions Group,a multi-dimensional company with over 300 employees that has prospered for over two decades. John currently speaks to large groups about implementing God within their business. To find more info, just visit his website!
