This isn’t your purpose.

Yeah, read that again.

This. Is not. Your purpose.

What’s “this?” Well, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? Is it your job, your hobby? What do you find yourself doing most? Are you putting in countless hours in the gym to distract from your stress? Are you an exhausted mother, an overloaded college student? The teacher barely making it through the last class period as your students test every ounce of patience you have? Are you the barista who just handed out an iced latte when the customer specifically ordered hot? We’ve all been there. And let’s be quite frank, we’re all still doing that.

We are taught to go to school. We are taught to work full time. We are taught to pick up extra hours, to put in countless studying hours that lead us to a mediocre final grade. We’re taught that these pieces lead to our purpose: to earn a name, lead us to our futures, maybe even make some people smile along the way. What’s sad, what is so deceiving, is this is so easy to believe. I mean, I’m sure there was never much thought given that anything else could actually be considered your purpose, am I right? Success and smiles - sounds like a purpose to me.

But here is the misleading thing about purpose: we allow purpose to be taught to us. We confuse our own plans and ideas with purpose.

So I’m writing, to you - yes, you - to lovingly remind you: purpose isn’t what you do. Purpose is why you’re here. Purpose is the pull behind your plans. Purpose is created to be a concept so much bigger than ourselves, that maybe, it isn't ours to decide.

I remember the moment I realized this like it was yesterday.

I was in my second year of my college career. This was my first year away from home, as I had commuted from home to a small, comfortable college campus the year before. That’s who I was, that’s what I preferred, but I was taught it was part of life to move on, and step outside of what you’re used to. I was taught “there’s much more than this town,” and “they’ll be here when you get back.” And maybe this is true, even now. But I was a small town girl who moved to a newer, bigger city, with no one around. I left my friends and my family to hopefully find “more.”

I went from knowing and openly loving nearly everyone I encountered to barely being able to reach a face in the crowd as I lived on a college campus of sixty thousand students who were just as busy as I was. I was living in the middle of a city I felt I totally did not belong in.

Everyone around me was enjoying their time on a well known, highly respected college campus while I only felt stuck. I felt like I was “supposed” to be there. Like I had something to prove. Like my purpose was to show my family and friends that I could make it at a big school, be admitted into a highly competitive program, and earn a degree.

I believed my purpose was to prove I could be on my own, that I could remain my smiley, independent self in a brand new world. I thought my purpose was to find who I was, work toward a career that would bring me happiness and brought to life my passions, and live a comfortable, love filled life.

It came down to spring semester where I was finally reached with the application process to become admitted into my college major of choice when my idea of "purpose" was truly tested, or redirected. This process was much more taxing and intimidating than I had ever originally planned.

Within this, I found myself second guessing...well, nearly everything. Was this the field I was called to become a professional in? Is this the place I am supposed to earn my college degree from? Am I really supposed to spend two more years away from my family to earn a piece of paper that displays an impressive university? What was my next step? Where was I going to go? This must be where I'm supposed to be. This must be what I am supposed to be doing. This must be my purpose, why else would I be here?

It wasn’t until I had hung up from a testing and tear-filled phone call concerning my future plans, as I was walking down the busy streets of my new city, that I realized: These pieces are not my purpose. It hit me like a ton of bricks. These pieces aren’t what matters. Plans do not mean purpose. And honestly - Thank God.

In that moment, that very moment, I so clearly heard God say, “I don’t care where you’re at.” What was that, God? You don’t care? You’re saying that no difference would have been made had I stayed in the comforts of my hometown or moved away, reaching for “more?”

Yeah, that’s exactly what He was saying. "But that's not your purpose." Because regardless of where I lived, regardless of where my degree sources from, my purpose remains the same, because my purpose isn't defined by me. In this moment, when I felt I had nothing to stand for, I realized, my purpose is really quite simple: to glorify the God who made me. These pieces were not my purpose.

I believed purpose was something I could choose. Purpose isn’t a choice. I thought purpose reigned on my decisions, emotions, and ambitions. Purpose is not to be confused with plans. Purpose is your calling. Purpose is the reason you do what you do, not how you get there. Purpose is the reason we make plans, take steps, and find the pieces. Purpose is the end result, the bigger picture. Purpose is more than the goal for success, it’s more than achieving “happiness.” Purpose is created to be a concept far beyond our understanding of this world.

My challenge with these words isn’t for you to quit your side job, to stop studying for that "A", or to stop thinking through your decisions because “none of this matters.” It absolutely matters. Of course these pieces are in tact to illustrate your purpose. Why else would the God of the entire universe strategically, thoughtfully, and lovingly place you here with the desires, questions, and motivations of your heart?

Let purpose be much greater than the motions of everyday life. Purpose is more than your passions, your plans, your dreams. Let your steps matter. Be intentional. Move your feet when you need to move. Stay placed when you need to stay placed, but don’t allow your pieces to define your purpose. Let your purpose define the pieces.

Remember, purpose isn’t what you do. Purpose is why you’re here.

And you're here on purpose.

“16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him.” Colossians 1:16