Thoughts on Purpose, Part IV

Weekend blogging! I love it.

It's doing much for me. It's giving me life.
It's making me GREAT today!
So I'll continue with my thoughts on

Purpose

This is the last post in this Purpose series.I like these types of posts, but can't say that I am in love with posting them, because it gets over into the type of spiritual things I'm pondering some 90% of the time.

At the same time, it's more for me than for you. I have an extensive archive of such pondering, and they have helped me much.

So...

I've learned much about purpose this year thusfar. And it's only the end of February. I think much of this has come about from things I've been praying about. I like to try to pray for a good half hour to an hour in the mornings a few days a week, and I look back at my prayers and I can see quite a few times when I've awaken MAD about having to go to work, but at the same time having to close the door on those emotions and ask God to use me in some way that day to help someone, to just let me be a cobblestone on someone's life path... something. Because I noticed, it always stirred up something in me, so measure of personal peace.

Needless to say, on a broader scale, I was praying about purpose.

And as usual (and I tend to take this for granted, gotta do better), lots of things jump off. Like hearing a couple of good sermons on purpose. Additionally, a workbook that Serenity and I just finished working on through a fabulous workbook that touched on the subject. And reinforce that with powerful examples of purpose in my midst, and I am pretty much equipped to with a fair amount of appreciation and understanding for this thing called purpose.

So, I was happy to post about it. I hope you've been able to receive something from it. Of course this ain't like the gossip sites, with their juicy nuggets of info on people, places and things, but this is a bit different, hopefully soemthing that will benefit your spirit.

And as with anything, it's like trays of hors d'oeurves that come around. Take what you like, what you need. The smoked oyster canapes may not be to your liking, but the tuna pate rounds may be what you like. Or you may like the crackers spread with cheese whiz. Whatever.

I just hope you found something to your liking, something that adds to your being.

That's the way it is with me.

With that said, I feel as though, after pondering all of this, that:

"Purpose is born out of our passions, dreams, goals, triumphs, tribulations, trials, frustrations, anger, and pain."

All of that goes into developing one's life purpose in life.

And I see all of us as trees. And we know a tree by the fruit it bears.

I can recognize an apple tree because it produces apples.

I can recognize a peach tree because it produces peaches.

And I can tell a person's purpose by the fruit they produce.

Yeah, that's a little convoluted, but work it out for your ownself. Just my way of thinking about it all.

Let's take an example. Look at all these runners all over blogland. Just some running broads, they are. I love love LOVE being a witness to their journeys, from running 1/2 a mile to running upwards of 15 miles now.

You know, I can see the fruit of their efforts. LOVE being a witness to that. That's a passion of theirs. But purpose can be born out of that passion.

They are now infused with the ability to aid others who want to get on that path, but didn't know how to get started. They have now become the effective example for others, and you can tell their deep burning passion for it, because they go all out to show others the way.

Or I know some of Serenity's clientele like to meander over here at the House of LadyLee. She's the official consultant for the House of LadyLee food-for-thought posts (she ges a little, uh, cantankerous if I don't post something on a regular basis to "help a sister" out). I am the official consultant for House of Serenity fodder (uh, not that hair and makeup and clothes and accessories stuff - I am a tomboy forever).

She gets a little antsy about posting about disappointments, failures, fears, angers at times. I try to tell her that all of this is as important as all the happy times.

Purpose is born out of that. You never know, she may have the key that unlocks someone from the mental prison in which they reside.

And the same with me. I don't really care for food for thought posts, as much as I do my smurfy posts.

So I hope you understand where I'm coming from.

This post is already long, and it's about to get longer.

I wanted to list 3 things in my life from which my life's purpose is born.

1. I am an Encourager. Man. NOTHING pleases me more than encouraging people. Just being an encourager. Oh, that just really lights a fire in my heart.

That part of me is born out of my personal pain. I grew up with a mother who didn't know how to encourage. In fact, you had to be careful not to say the wrong thing to her, because she WILL use it against you. As a result, I've always been a terribly quiet individual, and I only trust individuals who I can say what I have to say and not be frickin' punished for it. And that's hard. (My BFF LadyTee always sayd, Lee. I have to drag stuff out of you. You so private, gotta drag whatever it is that's wrong out of you!)

To me, there is nothing worse than people who, when you see them coming, you want to run the other way, because they mentally drain you, instead of building you up. I don't do well with people who, when they walk in the room, they cause havoc and choas in the life of others, leaving mental carnage in their path. That bothers me down deep. Waaaay down deep.

So, I am a direct opposite of such. I don't mind listening. I will literally stop what I do and listen, and find a way to encourage. I refuse to use what I learn against you. If I can have ANY part in you having the advantage, then I'm totally down with that. It just ain't in me to do so. 9 times out of 10, I will ask you a TON of questions, let you talk to and encourage your ownself. I love encouraging people. Just love it, love it, love it.

2. I am a Teacher. I love to teach. That's one of the few joys of my job: finding a way to train a person on their level. I just loooooove to teach. People that I like being around, they have very strong teaching spirits. I'm sooo drawn to such... The best part of grad school for me was the teaching component of it. I just love to teach.

3. I am a writer. Boy oh Boy, if you didn't know how much I like to write, well, now you know. I just loooooove to write. Not sure where that came from. I've always been a master journaller. Then I think our women's fellowship at church had a "Readers and Writers" group, and I got nosy and attended it. We talked about journalling and writing, and I'd actually gotten a chance to talk to other church memebers who like to write and had actually published books. I think a great seed was planted at that time, some 8 years ago. And it has grown.

What has been terribly interesting to me is a mini-explosion of people reading my work over the past month. And I'm talking about things I've had put up for a long time, you know, finish writing it, and throwing it in the closet. And it's been such a blessing talking to the readers and discussing what they liked, what they didn't like, what touched their hearts, etc. It's really stirred something up in me, and I am glad of that. Definitely a place from which my purpose is born. So my purpose is born from those three things... It's like a chord made of three strands, making it stronger. This is where my success is, where my peace is, where my abilities to be a blessing to others' lay. It's where my passion lay.When you look at the fruit I produce on my tree, it involves some aspect of those 3 things I listed above. It's my place called happy.

Well! That's the purpose series. You have reader Ginae to thank for it. She asked asimple question about purpose in my comment section.

I had to tie up my sneakers and holler "Whelp! Guess I better get into this!"

And I'm so very glad I did.

Yes indeed.