Living With Purpose: Week 3
Welcome to the series Living With Purpose in Every Season! If you missed the other posts in this series, you can find them here:
Week 1: Silent Seasons
Week 2: Seasons of Blessings
And now for Week 3: Seasons of Surrender
What is purpose? Purpose is knowing why we do what we do. It’s believing there is value in obeying the voice of God. It’s knowing that when God calls us to do something, He will give us what we need to accomplish it.
But what about those times in life when it’s not so easy to obey? What about those seasons when life is completely out of control?
Like when the bank account has a big fat red zero in it, or the relationships you’ve relied on for years begin to crumble right before your eyes?
What about those moments when you get the bad report at the doctor or the call from a child who has done the unimaginable? What then? What is your purpose then?
The details of our lives often feel beyond our ability to control, but God, He is never shocked by the things that rock our world.
That huge bill that shows up months or years later for something you completely forgot about, He knew it was coming. He is never surprised when someone stabs you in the back or lets you down again. When your life is turned upside down by illness, or heartache, He knows every detail.
Sometimes when life feels completely out of control that’s exactly when God wants to prove to us that He is completely in control.
How do we find purpose in those seasons when life seems capsized by circumstance?
Stop.
S – Surrender
T – Trust
O – Obey
P – Praise
Surrender often feels like a dirty word. It’s so hard to do sometimes. It means we have to let go of our natural tendency to hold on. Surrender means we set aside the need to hold on and we let God seize the reigns of our life.
Trusting God sounds good, but oh how we worry when we can’t figure everything out. Trusting God means we stop the worry and let God work.
Obedience. We know it’s right, but acting on it with a happy heart isn’t so pleasant when it means we give up something we love. Obeying God means we choose His way no matter which way He directs.
Praise is easy when bills are paid and relationships are tidy. But when life gets messy and friends betray, praise is hard. It is often opposite of what we feel. Praise means we say, “Thank you, God,” even when we feel crushed.
The more I seek God’s purpose for my life, the more I am learning to S.T.O.P.
It’s not easy. I’ll be the first to wave my hand and admit I really struggle with stopping. So often I want to start a new way of doing this or organizing that. I find a new budget plan, or eating plan, or reading plan, and I do, do, do. Yet, God consistently tells me to stop.
As long as I keep up striving for my own purpose and agenda, I’ll never know the power of God’s purpose in my life.
For I, the LORD your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, “Fear not, I am the one who helps you. Isaiah 41:13(ESV)
When life feels out of control and we are looking for the purpose in it all, sometimes the purpose is simply stop.
As we continue Living With Purpose in Every Season, ask yourself these questions this week. Don’t just give the answers that sound good. Truly consider what your honest response is:
1. Am I willing trust God in spite of what I’m going through?
2. Am I willing to praise God in spite of what is happening?
3. Am I willing to let go of what is holding me back from my purpose?
4. Am I willing to do something that is outside of my original idea or plan?
5. Am I willing to rest in God’s faithfulness in every situation in my life?
6. Am I willing to surrender, trust, obey, and praise even when life looks difficult or even impossible?
Purpose is so powerful. It gives life or it takes life. When we seek God and we are willing to S.T.O.P. we find the purpose we are looking for. It’s not always what we want, but it’s what we need. It’s surrender.
What is one circumstance that makes you feel like your life is out of control? Feel free to share it with me in the comments and I will pray for you this week.
I feel like it’s time for a group hug. After all, we are all in this together. Let’s S.T.O.P and live this week with purpose!
Love & Blessings,
Micah
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Timely questions to ask myself this week.
Thank you for your faithfulness to write posts that draw us close to the Lord.
Great to see you this week, Helena! And thanks for taking the time to reply! I hope you have a blessed week as we live with purpose, sister!
Excellent post, Micah! I sent to my son and tweeted. Blessings to you and yours
Thank you for passing it on! Blessing someone else is a wonderful way to start the week!
This was heart stopping for me to read today. I am really struggling with the stress of how it all will fit together with the time allotted in each day! Thank you for this wisdom! Happy Monday! Megs
Meg! I’m so glad this helped you. God’s in control girl! Keep trusting Him every single day. Hugs!
Purpose is such a needful part of our lives yet I go off in my own direction far more than I listen and wait. I understand the parts to this yet I just want to know the answers! Thanks for reminding me this day. I am right in the midst of a wait on God situation with my husband and we both are pulling God our ways! Not good!!!
I often go my own way too. It’s hard, isn’t it? To be totally surrendered to God’s way. Turn to God as you wait and release control. I will pray you both clearly see the way God wants you to go. God is never wrong. And He has a purpose for you and your husband.
Loving the acronym, and it’s memorable for those times when it’s not second nature! When the world turns upside down, we need to have truth close at hand!
Thank you, Michele! I hope you have a great week!
This was shared with me today by Lisa Nicholls. It was definitely needed. It was the PERFECT read for me.
Heather, I’m so glad it encouraged you! God’s timing is always perfect. And I love Lisa! I hope you have a great day!
This was such an encouraging post with a takeaway! The questions are something I will ponder on throughout my week. All those beautiful words – trust, rest, let go, praise…am I willing! I found your site through the link-up Purposeful Faith, and I’m glad I clicked onto your blog, which is lovely by the way. Blessings to you!
Thank you, Tammy! Your words so encouraged my heart! I’m so glad this touched you! Thank you for dropping by!
Thank you for sharing this. I’m going to bookmark it as a reminder for later and I’m sure I’ll be back to read it again soon. Such an amazing reminder and so well written and thoughtful.
The Messy Bun Mama
Surrender requires Trust. Trust gives birth to Obedience. Obedience results in Praise. STOP is such a cool way to remember this beautiful process when life gets tough. It all starts with surrender.
Amen!
Thanks Sarah! Surrender is a hard thing, but it’s so holy. I’m working on it, girl! I hope you have a good week!
Great list of questions to pray through!
I remember a time when I was afraid to trust God in surrender. I was afraid that if I surrendered all to Him, He would do something bad to me. It all boiled down to not really believing that He loved me or not truly understanding what that love entailed. But when I finally surrendered, it was the best thing I could have done, and I have found such grace and love and peace in Him since then.
Sometimes He brings new things into my life that I must also surrender to Him, but it is so much easier since that time of internal struggle was overcome.
Isn’t that awesome how when we think back on those struggles of the past how God uses them to pull us through the present? I love that!
Amen!
Love the acronym, I am going to memorize STOP!
Yay! You go girl!
I love the way you turned STOP into an acronym for Surrender, Trust, Obey and Praise. I am blessed!
Thank you, Edith! I’m thankful this helped you!