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Pursuing Purpose

I read Tony Morgan's post on The Vending Machine. It's a great list of the balance we need to make in our lives regarding work.

Maybe it comes from working with teens and college students; maybe it comes from looking at successful leaders. I often hear about just how important it is to live our dream, take the chance and give up everything to make a difference in the world.

This sounds incredibly easy to say and live, when you are in school or recently graduated. Life is open with very, very few responsibilities. It's possible to pick up life and go anywhere in the World that will make a difference. This is so true and I'm so impressed and happy when I see teens around me actually picking up and leaving behind the known and safe so that they can make an impact.

Having a family restricts that significantly. It's still fun and we can still make a difference, but picking up life and moving on now involves more than just one person. Tony throws out some of the focuses we should have when it comes to work.

  • How are you investing your life?
  • Is it what you were designed to do?
  • Are you fulfilled?
  • Do you enjoy that people around you? Do they help bring the best out of you? Do you bring the best out of them?
  • Do you have enough financial resources to contribute to God's work and support your family?
  • What lasting impact are you making?

Life is short. Just wanted to make sure you realized that sometimes you have to make the move. Sometimes God doesn't fully reveal his will until you take the first step (Joshua 3:14-17).

These are incredibly important questions which I continually try to answer. Answering simply one of these questions doesn't give the whole picture.

I need to take all of them into account. Deciding that I am not fulfilled, so I should change jobs, isn't enough. If I'm not making an impact in my job, but I am making an impact in God's work in other ways, maybe that's enough.

Each of us will obviously answer these questions differently. Still, having concrete answers helps me decide whether it is time to consider making a change.

I hope it helps you all as well.

Peace,

+Tom

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