So, if we know that God created us to live in harmony with him and others and enjoy our lives, how do we know what our primary purpose is and if we are fulfilling it?

The answer is simple.  Are we enjoying the present moment?  Regardless of what it is we are doing, if we are not fully enjoying the moment, we are not fulfilling our primary purpose, which is to live in the moment.

If we are stressed out…  We’re not fulfilling our purpose.

Angry… Not fulfilling our purpose.

Afraid… Not fulfilling our purpose.

Anxious, depressed, jealous, envious, frustrated… You guessed it, were off track.

Now of course, we are only human, and we will experience these emotions from time to time no matter how far we are on our path of spiritual growth.  However, if we are experiencing these emotions for anything more than a brief moment, we probably have some digging to do to figure out what is off.  God put very strong radars in every one of us to keep us on track.  If we are experiencing constant or prolonged negative emotions, it might be time to really search deep and find out what we are missing.

Your secondary purpose is your life ambitions and goals.  It is the fulfillment of your deepest passions in life and doing the things your heart desires.

We are all uniquely created with different talents and abilities and different things that we enjoy doing.  Finding what makes us tick and what brings us the greatest joy is where we find our secondary purpose.

I believe that the only way to fully know our secondary purpose is to spend time alone with God.  If we live busy, fast paced lives and never take the time to discover this, we may end up doing things in life, possibly even taking career paths that do not allow us to uncover our secondary purpose and therefore do not find our true potential.  If we are not able to fulfill our secondary purpose, it is very likely that we will struggle to fulfill our primary purpose.  Meditation/solitude, in my experience, are the only tools that have allowed me to go deep and find out what I am really here for and how to find and fulfill both purposes in my life. 

In order to be truly fulfilled in life we must live out both our primary and secondary purposes.  You will know if you are fulfilling your life purposes by your level of peace, love, and joy.  These are our internal radar systems that tell us whether we are on course. 

I have often heard many who are afraid to search for their secondary purpose as they think God might want them to sell all their possessions and move to Haiti to become a full time missionary.  This, although the path for some, will likely not be your purpose unless you have been feeling a calling in your heart to do something similar.  God uses our talents and the things that bring us the greatest joy to bless others, which in return brings us the greatest joy.  If you truly follow God’s purpose for your life, although it may be a scary commitment at first, you will experience more abundance in every area of your life than you could have ever imagined.

If we are not enjoying our lives, what is the point of living?  No really, if we are all being honest, if we can’t enjoy what we do is it really isn’t worth doing?  Continually doing things that do not inspire you will leave you depleted and feeling miserable, which is why it is so important to live a life of purpose.

A good measure of whether you are fulfilling both purposes is to start with your primary purpose.  If you are in a constant cycle of stress, something needs to change, or the change will be forced at some point and chances are you will not enjoy the outcome. 

To do this, the first thing to consider is whether you are creating excess stress or if it is required as part of your job.  In most cases, we create the stress ourselves and it is a complete illusion.  If you have a deep love for what you do but you are feeling stressed, chances are you need to look inward as to why you are placing extra burdens on yourself. 

On the other hand, many are forced to perform at a certain rate which causes excess stress on the body and mind, or they are doing something they are not supposed to be doing and so they are not fulfilled.  If either are the case for you, it may be time to consider whether you want to continue this negative cycle for the rest of your life.  Regardless of which circumstance you are in, making a drastic change in your life is the only thing that is going to deliver you from your current situation and give you the abundant life that is your birthright.

If you are living a life where God is first, others are second, and you are third you are living a purposeful life.  Combine this with your level of joy, love, and peace and you have an exact formula for living the best life you can live.  If you can’t wait to get out of bed every day to make a difference and give your gifts to the world and do the things you enjoy, keep up the good work and pass your wisdom to others.  If you don’t feel a deep sense of fulfillment, start digging and see what you uncover.  The following meditation will help you do just that.

This is the final mediation in this series and for this meditation we are going to go deep and ask a few questions and search for answers as to whether we are currently living purposeful lives.  The meditation is not designed to feel any condemnation whatsoever, but rather to bring the truth to the surface. 

When preparing for this meditation, it is vital that you toss out old limiting beliefs for new truths to be discovered.  It is very common to live in denial, especially if we have been doing the same thing for years, and pretend that everything is okay. 

If you truly believe in your heart that you are fulfilling both purposes, then take this time to express thanks for having found the keys to life.

If you know there is room to improve, prepare yourself for this meditation by accepting that there is more and being open to whatever transpires.

We will start this meditation as we always do with long deep breaths to relax our body and mind helping us to move into a meditative state.  We will then start asking some of the questions below, but feel free to ask any questions you would like that you feel will help uncover truths about yourself.

“I know I was created for more and I am open to finding out what my purpose is and how to fulfill it.”

“God, what is my purpose on this Earth.”

“God, show me how to live the purposeful life you created me to live.”

As you begin asking these questions or other similar questions, stay open to anything and everything.  You may begin reverting back to childhood dreams.  You may have something come to mind that you know you need to explore further.  Perhaps you know what your heart desires while you are reading this.  If that is the case, go deep into it.   You may end up sitting in silence for some time before anything begins to transpire.  With enough dedication, you will find the answers you are seeking if you seek with all your heart.

Psalm 16:11 – You will make known to me the path of life; in your presence is fullness of joy; in your right hand there are pleasures forever.

Romans 15:13 – May the God of hope fill you with all the joy and peace as you trust in his, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Sprit.

James 1:5-8 – If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.”

• Each of us has a unique purpose we were created for
• If we diligently seek God, he will show us the path he created for us to live
• If we find and follow the path God created for us, we will live abundant lives of purpose that bring us great unbelievable joy and allow us to be a blessing to the world.