Without Compromise, pt. 8: Finding Purpose
When I started a personal Bible study on the book of Ezra several years ago, I wasn’t expecting that I would turn my own study notes into a book about leadership, but that’s what happened (Leadership Ezra, available on Amazon). When that was done, I started a study of Daniel, and never made it past the first chapter before organizing my personal notes into a series of valuable lessons to share with students. As time has gone on, God seems to be prompting me to do more with it, so I have begun the process of turning my notes into short articles, that will then become the basis for chapters in a book (current working title: “Without Compromise: Leading with integrity in the face of pressure”).
The underlying basis of the story is this: In the time and world of Daniel, Israel and the capital city of Jerusalem were invaded and captured. In that process, the most gifted and talented young men were given a “scholarship” [albeit, against their will] to attend the most elite private school in the known world, one designed to prepare leaders & experts (Daniel 1:3). Upon graduation, Daniel and his friends were at the top of the class and were hired into executive leadership positions right out of school (Daniel 1:17-20). But here’s an incredibly significant observation: In between . . . they refused to compromise their faith, values, and integrity.
How did they do it? One way was by understanding their purpose.
When I graduated from high school, I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life, I only knew that God had called me to serve Him in ministry. When I graduated from college, I still wasn’t completely sure what I wanted to do with my life, so I went to grad school. When I finished grad school, I started doing what I thought I wanted to do with my life, but within a few short years, God changed my direction. That’s when I finally figured out my purpose.
Because didn’t know for sure what I wanted to do when I was in college (other than perhaps teaching and mentoring in higher education, which is what I have now come full circle to end up doing at this stage of my life), I took the next step of grad school and earned a Master’s degree in marriage and family counseling. With that degree in hand, I started working in a Christian counseling center under the mentorship of the director, with the hope and plan that I would eventually become the director of the center and have my own counseling and therapy practice. As I was developing my experience and skill, I also found myself at times struggling with joy and contentment. But it was what I had committed to do, so I threw myself into it, and was becoming effective in marriage counseling and in premarital counseling as specialties. That is until God knocked my feet out from under me.
The counseling director had an accident that was going to put him out of commission for at least 6 months, so he closed down his practice, which left me without a job. I was mad at God and decided to move my family and go on to medical school for psychiatry or neuromedicine. In my anger at God, I had decided that I just needed to do something that made as much money as possible, and I would support other people in ministry but I wasn’t going to serve God in ministry any longer. We moved from Michigan to Florida (by my wife’s family), and I started applying for a job – any job – that would help make ends meet until I started medical school. The problem I ran into was that in spite of all the applications I submitted, no one called me back. I was getting angrier at God, and then one day my wife suggested I contact the church she attended in high school and see if they were hiring a counselor. I didn’t want to, but felt like I had no other choice. It was that call, however, that opened the door to a job as a temporary teacher in a Christian school, which, in turn, became the purpose and direction that God had for my life. That’s another part of the story, one that I will talk a little more about, in the podcast episode that matches this article this week.
That’s a lesson we learn from Daniel, in verses 17-21, which says, “17 As for these four young men, God gave them knowledge and skill in all literature and wisdom; and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams. 18 Now at the end of the days, when the king had said that they should be brought in, the chief of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar. 19 Then the king interviewed them, and among them all none was found like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah; therefore they served before the king. 20 And in all matters of wisdom and understanding about which the king examined them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers who were in all his realm. 21 Thus Daniel continued until the first year of King Cyrus.”
At the conclusion of their educational experience and training, Daniel and his friends were appointed to serve the King in leadership roles and did so for the remainder of that King’s rule (and during the reign of the next two rulers as well). God had gifted them with specific talents, and abilities, and they had grown and developed in maturity and skill, all while maintaining their godliness and character. When the King administered their “final exam,” they scored the highest grades and were placed in a position where they could have an impact. In the end, it became clear that God had a purpose, and had given them purpose. Similar to what God had done with Joseph’s captivity in Egypt, God used the captivity of these Hebrew children as a means to position them in roles within the highest office of the land so that He could carry out His purpose. What the king was looking for was skill in understanding and wisdom, and (wouldn’t you know) that’s exactly where God gifted these Hebrew children. As for his part, Daniel had embraced this mission and calling and was intentional about submitting to God’s purpose at every step.
Likewise, for you and me, all of the events, circumstances, and people in our lives are all things that God is using and has used to place us where we need to be in order to fulfill His purpose. You see, God has a greater purpose, and He has prepared, equipped, and placed you in a particular context within His greater purpose for a reason. Remember that your story is one chapter in God’s Grand Story, and within the context of God’s Grand Story, you can find the meaning and purpose in your chapter. Your responsibility is to seek out, embrace, and carry out that purpose. How does that happen? To oversimplify, you need to write down the things you love doing and the things you do well; pray that God will give you the clarity and discipline to develop those; and pray that God will put the right opportunity in front of you at the right time. When it appears, seize that opportunity.
Like the #JeremyCamp song “These Days” says, “I believe that you and I are in the right place at the right time . . . Maybe we were made for these days.” That’s the Lesson of Purpose: You have a part and a purpose in God’s story. See your life experiences through that lens and find where your identity and abilities align with the opportunities God places in front of you. There, you can find purpose.
