Now her heart raced twice its speed 20 minutes earlier. The courier was 5 blocks away from the white-coloured painted bungalow she has been living in for 4 years. Perched at the basement three steps away from the door, were the array of green and brightly coloured flowers distinctively buried in the vase she got from nanny’s store down the street.
Her mind cluttered the airwaves with questions that her mom refrained from answering. “Don’t worry. You will figure it out and how to use it.” Mrs. Yomi told Temi with a smile that could be spotted in her voice over the phone. It was 25th May 2003. Mrs. Yomi promised her daughter a special gift for her 30th birthday.
She wondered what surprise could be lying within the walls of the 4 by 4 inches blue box while she gave freedom to the white ribbon that added beauty to it. Her eyes wondered in awe of what the item that braced her gaze was: a gold-plated round object. Beneath it was a tri-fold paper with a bold inscription: “Manual.”
Your understanding of purpose stems from your willingness to discover it, be established in it and fulfill it. The “will” of a man forms a crucial part in determining his fate(destiny) and this destiny forms the “how, where and when” of fulfilling his purpose.
At the end of the story above, Temi was left at the point where her ”will” decides whether she will patiently read the manual to discover the purpose of her gift or just ignorantly use it or may leave it lying on the table. Her understanding of its purpose is tied to the decision she makes.
Knowing that purpose is an experience/influence is key to understanding it. Most individuals believe purpose is an activity that’s why you hear people saying their purpose is to be a teacher, medical personnel, musician, preacher, and the like. These are media through which purpose is fulfilled; it’s a means to an end. This is buttressed in the statement of Jesus on the cross;
“It is finished.” (see John 19:30 NIV)
This reveals that the purpose he came to earth to fulfill has been fulfilled that’s why he said “It is finished” not “I am finished.” Also, the purpose of Temi’s gift is wrapped in the satisfaction it gives her or the problem it solves for her, not its function.
What about Potentials?
Your potentials (skills, talents, gifts) are media you fulfill your purpose through. The famous Roman writer enunciated this in his letter to the Ephesians;
“Praise be to the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.” (see Eph.1:3 NIV)
The blessings are the potentials God gave each person to fulfill his purpose effectively. The effectiveness of using these potentials stems from maximizing them. A scenario is a musician; regardless of how epic her voice is, inconsistency in taking voice exercises and doing the needful in the field of music will demean the effectiveness of her talent.
Having described what purpose and its media are, it’s important to understand that purpose is synonymous to a precious gem: You don’t sit on your couch to excavate diamonds or gold from the ground. You go through a variety of surveys and mining operations to get to it. That’s almost how purpose works. Just as with the help of other surveyors and professionals, the work becomes easier, acknowledging the author of purpose (God) makes the discovery and fulfillment of your purpose easier.
Neglecting the place of the manufacturer of a product in understanding its purpose and function, puts you on the path to abusing/under-using it. The manual beneath Temi’s gift helps her in consulting the manufacturer to understand his product.
Final Note.
Understanding purpose is an inestimable principle to fulfilling and being established in it. When the purpose of one’s life is neglected, then in the true sense, one has nothing to live for because purpose is everything to live for.