We live in a time where the desire to be like someone else permeates our culture.  Some will spend hours meticulously studying their favorite celebrity or hero so they can emulate them.  They study what they wear, how they speak, their likes and dislikes, where they hang out, etc.  The problem with this is that no matter how closely a person is able to measure up to the one they admire, they will never experience lasting fulfillment by being someone they were never designed to be.  True fulfillment comes when we embrace our true, God given, identity and are carrying out our God-given purpose. 


Unfortunately, I can relate first hand to this misplacement of my identity and self worth in search of fulfillment.  For years, the way I pursued my career was based on what I saw other people doing.  If it looked fun, I tried it.  But time after time, I eventually became bored or dissatisfied with everything about the job - regardless of how much progress I was making. It took quite a while, but I finally came to my senses.  Who better to help me to discover my purpose than the One who created me?


As I embarked on my journey of self-discovery in light of how God wired me, I realized something else had been standing in my way.  My past.

 

Living in a fallen world means that there can be unfavorable circumstances that have the potential to create roadblocks on our journey to fulfillment in living out our purpose. For me, it was few experiences that I had as a child.  There were times I encountered abuse that caused me to believe a lie.  When I would report the abuse to care-givers, instead of them believing me and protecting me, I was punished.  This happened time and time again, crushing my little spirit and leading me to believe the lie that I had no voice.  Since no one was willing to listen or believe me, I began to stop speaking up for myself for fear of being punished yet again.  This lie worked its way down into my subconscious mind and stayed with me into my adult years.  I was deathly afraid of public speaking and became a person of very few words.  After all, why would anyone want to listen to anything I had to say?

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Yet, God and others kept encouraging me and opening doors for me to share my story.  Even then, before I spoke, I would endure severe anxiety that was often, debilitating; torturous to say the least.  However, after I would share, the fulfillment I experienced was like nothing else.  I couldn’t understand why something so fulfilling could create such a feeling of agony leading up to it that made me want to run and hide.  It was extremely difficult for me.

 

Through the years I began to realize that a large part of God’s purpose for me was to use my voice to positively impact the lives of others.  God had purposed and designed me to speak, but the pain from my past was making it challenging to do so. As I learned more about how God wired and designed me, my desire to be anyone else than myself diminished. I began to embrace my true identity and trust God’s plan and His purposes for my life. 

 

God truly understands our desire to live a purposeful and meaningful life.  In fact, it is God who created us on purpose, for a purpose and placed those longings inside of us.  So, when it comes to discovering our purpose, we can trust Him to tell us what we need to know and direct us in the way we need to go.

 

Proverbs 3:5-6 (NLT) says:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
do not depend on your own understanding.
Seek his will in all you do,
and he will show you which path to take.

What about you?  Have you, like me, ever spent more time trying to be someone else than you have trying to be the best version of yourself that you can be?  If so, I challenge you to assess how God wired you, consider where your passions and talents intersect, and be open to receiving and embracing what God has for you.  God wants you to know your purpose more than you do.

 

Here are 3 keys that will help you to discover and embrace your purpose:

  1. Avoid making someone else’s dream your own.  Instead, ask God to reveal His dream for you.

  2. Reject the lies you’ve been told and trust in the truth of what God says about you.

  3. Find where your talents and passions intersect and your purpose will be closer than you think.


Finding your purpose can be an exciting journey, and although it may vary in appearance throughout your different seasons of life, there will usually be a common thread that is woven into the intricate details; One that magnificently displays His glorious handiwork of creating you.

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Meet the Author

Kim Anthony, TLSM Featured Expert

Kim Anthony is an author, speaker and podcast host, with a passion to help women reclaim their authentic selves, embrace their unique attributes, and walk in the fullness of who they were created to be as leaders in the workplace, at home, and in everyday life. Her mission includes assisting women of all backgrounds in overcoming past pain, working through identity challenges, and fulfilling their purpose. 

She carries out this mission by inspiring and encouraging her audiences through her book and podcast, both entitled, Unfavorable Odds. To learn more about Kim, visit: www.KimAnthony.net. 

  

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The Life of a Single Mom is a national, faith-based, nonprofit that exists to see that no single mom walks alone. To date, the organization has worked with hundreds of churches to start a single mom’s support group in cities throughout the U.S. and beyond, as well as having served hundreds of thousands of single mothers with a variety of programs.  Offering a large array of books, curriculum, training materials, online instructional videos, podcasts, newsletters, life skills education, and more, TLSM is one of the largest single mom organizations in the U.S.  The robust selection of single mom programs focus on empowering single moms to grow spiritually, emotionally, financially, and parentally through Single Mom University, Single Moms Across America, the National TLSM Single Moms Conference, boot camps, and a variety of other programs. For more information,  visit  www.thelifeofasinglemom.com.