André Baard

andre.baard@gmail.com

Purpose & Meaning

Us humans are all in search of meaning and a sense of purpose. Purpose is about being, about our identity; meaning is about doing, about our work, about expressing that identity.

Our work is meaningless when it is not aligned to our purpose. Our work is proportionally more meaningful, the closer it is aligned to our purpose.

And we know that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose. For those God foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers.

Romans 8:28-29

What was God’s purpose in calling us? To be conformed to the image of His Son. Jesus is your destiny! God has purposed to imprint His Son on you, mould you into the same image as Jesus!

For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

Eph 2:10

So God made us a masterpiece period. Your purpose is ontologically, existentially is simply, a masterpiece of God’s own design. Now we were so shaped as to be useful in bringing God glory and for us to enjoy Him forever. We were created with a purpose in mind. Now, because a thing exists in glory, in art does not yet make it useful. Its when that art is applied. When that art acts that we get destiny. Art in action! 

Destiny & Impact

Destiny is when what we do converges with our design, when what we do is matched to who we are. Sadly, too few find it.

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 purpose.

Impact is the result of our doings. 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. 

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.

 

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