Special Purpose

What do you want to be when you grow up? Some of us had an answer. Police officer, firefighter, engineer, astronaut, and so on. Others struggled to answer that question. Whatever we ended up doing with our careers, are we serving our purpose? The thing that brings us joy, the thing that feels like our entire lives have led to this point.

The Teachings of Jesus

Matthew 22:36–39 says:
“Teacher, which command in the law is the greatest?”
He said to him, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and most important command. The second is like it. Love your neighbor as yourself.” How can someone love with everything they have? Not only God, but themselves and others? What is love?1 Corinthians 13:4–7 tells us clearly.
“Love is patient, love is kind. Love does not envy, is not boastful, is not arrogant, is not rude, is not self-seeking, is not irritable, and does not keep a record of wrongs. Love finds no joy in unrighteousness but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” So let’s take this piece by piece.

Love is Patient

Patience comes in many forms, and oftentimes it feels impossible. So how do you have patience with God, yourself, and others?
Patience with God means waiting without frustration. It means understanding that what you want is not always what you need, and that you may never understand the “why” until later in life when hindsight makes things clear.
Patience with yourself means understanding that you are not perfect, that the path to becoming better can never be taken perfectly, and that it is okay to fall short. Growth takes time, and failure is often part of learning.
Patience with others means understanding that they are doing their best too. They may not be at the same point in their journey as you are. Their path may look different, and that is okay. Love gives space for others to grow at their own pace.

Love is Kind

Kindness is more than just being polite. It is a deliberate choice to treat others with the same grace you wish for them to give to you.
Being kind to God means giving Him your trust. It means letting go of anger and bitterness when things do not go your way and believing that His plan is rooted in love.
Being kind to yourself means not tearing yourself down. Speak to yourself with the same grace you would give to a friend. You are worthy of love, and you are a creation of God. Treat yourself as something made with intention.
Being kind to others means showing compassion when it is not deserved, forgiveness when it is not asked for, and grace even when it is not returned. It means letting your actions be a reflection of the person you wished everyone would be.

Love Does Not Envy

Envy is a quiet poison. It tells us that someone else’s blessing is our loss. But God does not run out of blessings. There is no shortage of purpose, beauty, or love to go around.
Love without envy celebrates others sincerely. It finds joy in someone else’s success because their light does not dim your own.
When you find yourself comparing your life to someone else’s, remember that God made your path specifically for you. Someone else’s journey may look easier, but it is not yours. Be thankful for what you have, and be open to what is still to come.

Love is Not Boastful or Arrogant

Love does not exist to prove itself. It does not demand attention or seek to appear better than others. True love is humble.
When we boast, we make love about ourselves. When we live humbly, we make love about God, and others.
Let your actions speak louder than your words. Let others see the light in you without you having to announce it.

Love is Not Rude or Self-Seeking

Rudeness is often born out of frustration or pride. It is forgetting that others deserve the same dignity that we expect for ourselves. Love, in its truest form, never seeks to harm or belittle.
Self-seeking love is love that serves ego, not God, or others. It asks, “What can I get?” instead of, “What can I give?”
The love Jesus taught us is outward, not inward. It puts others before self, not because we are lesser, but because serving others brings us closer to God’s heart.

Love is Not Irritable and Keeps No Record of Wrongs

Holding on to anger is like holding fire. You may think you are protecting yourself, but you are only burning from the inside.
Love lets go. It does not forget boundaries or allow harm, but it refuses to live in bitterness.
Forgiveness is not about saying “what you did is okay.” It is about saying, “I will not let this control me anymore.”
Love chooses peace over pride. It chooses healing over being right.

Love Finds Joy in the Truth

The truth can be hard to face, but love rejoices in it because truth sets us free.
God’s love is rooted in honesty. When we love truthfully, we do not manipulate or hide behind masks. We love others as they are, and we allow ourselves to be loved as we are.
Love that rejoices in truth cannot be shaken by fear. It is strong because it is honest!

Love Bears, Believes, Hopes, and Endures All Things

This is the heart of it all. Love carries. Love trusts. Love dreams. Love withstands.
It is not fragile, it does not run when things get difficult. It grows stronger in the storms because it knows where its foundation lies.
When your faith is tested, remember that love is the evidence of God within you. It is not a feeling, it is a choice, and that choice can change the world around you.
Love is eternal. Everything else fades, beauty, wealth, status, but love endures through all things including death.

Finding Your Special Purpose

Your purpose is not just what you do, it is how you love.
Whatever your career, calling, or role, your purpose is to love God, love yourself, and love others with everything you have. That is the mission that outlasts any job title.
You were created to love. You were created to bring light into dark places. You were created to be a reflection of the love that created you. However we choose to show our love we will find our purpose.
So when you ask yourself what you want to be when you grow up, remember this.
Be love.