Identity / Purpose / Meaning / Destiny / Legacy / Impact
Identity is about being. Purpose is about doing. Meaning comes when they are aligned. Our work is meaningless i.e. it is without purpose when it is not aligned to our identity. Our work is proportionally more meaningful, the closer it is aligned to our purpose. Purpose is about doing. Us humans are all in search of meaning in our doings, a sense of purpose.
Meaning is derived from our purpose which is rooted in our identity. We experience more meaning the more our doings align with our being. Since we are created to be lovers of God, anything and everything we do for the love of God takes on deep meaning as every such act confirms our existential and God designed identity, our unique nature. Meaning and purpose is, importantly, less reliant on the actually work we do and more for the ‘why’ and ‘who’. we do it for …
Destiny happens when what we do converges with our design, when what we do is matched to who we are. Sadly, too few find it. Impact is the result of a life of destiny. If loving and enjoying God is our primary purpose, and all our actions, work and doings fulfil that great purpose, then any act, no matter how low ‘impact’ in terms of its effect on this world, is imbued with infinite depths of life-satisfying meaning.
Like most things, there can be two kinds of I.M.P.A.C.T. – we should avoid this toxic manmade version: Imposing Manmade Principles, Achieving Carnal Transformation. You do not need to be a planet-shaker impact person to enjoy truckloads of meaning, especially considering that what happens behind closed doors with God may never become a public matter. God only knows. Life giving I.M.P.A.C.T is Inspired Motivational Preaching Attaining Christlike Transformation!
So then, identity precedes doing and from our being comes our doing or work. From our work comes our destiny and from destiny or impact and legacy.
Being (Identity) > Doing (Purpose) > Destiny (Life) > Legacy / Impact on the world