“So purpose is central—and not a materialistic view of life.”

A thought by Matt Perman, from his book, How to Get Unstuck (p. 43). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)

For your purpose to truly flourish it needs to be more than material.

Matt says, “In other words, even secular thinking is coming to see—and backing it with research—that traditional views of success as wealth and fame do not fulfill and are not true flourishing. They may be a byproduct, but those who are truly content with their lives and have those things found them as a by-product, not the original goal.

“Seligman (in his book Flourish) makes the great point that full flourishing, or well-being, has five components: ‘positive emotion, engagement, meaning, positive relationships, and accomplishment.’ One of his key insights is that well-being is a result of the integration of these realities, not a single concept. That is, it is not because of just one thing you do; it is from the bringing together of these five realities.”

Matt goes on, “Finally, biblically speaking, the Westminster Catechism gets at flourishing when, in answer to ‘What is the chief end of man?’ it says, ‘To glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.’ We are to enjoy God. We are to have joy. That’s flourishing. And forever. Enduring and sustainable joy is true flourishing. And it comes from God, the true source of joy and ultimate value in the universe.”

He then says, “To be unstuck is to be making a difference through obstacles in things that matter to you. It’s to be accomplishing your goals. More specifically, it’s to know how to set the right goals and get them done. It’s to know what God’s purposes are for you and to make them happen with him and in his power. It’s to be able to move and navigate in life and work from where you are to where you want to be—to where God wants you to be. It’s to be able to say, ‘I want this to be different,’ and then be able to make it happen."

He continues, “My goal in this book is to help you find what God wants you to do, and then for you to do it with excellence and through obstacles.”

And that then is your purpose to flourishing in your life. That is something we all need to find and do, isn’t it?

Yes, yes!

Comments

“There’s a big difference between building a castle and building a kingdom.”

A thought by Bob Goff from his book, Everybody, Always: Becoming Love in a World Full of Setbacks and Difficult People ( p. 41). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) Have you ever built a sand castle or maybe a Lego castle? Have you? Bob says, “We actually build castles all the time, out of our jobs and our families and the things we’ve purchased. Sometimes we even make them out of each other. Some of these castles are impressive too. Lots of people come to admire what we’ve built over the course of our lives and tell us what great castles we have. But Jesus told His friends we weren’t supposed to spend our lives building castles. He said He wanted us to build a kingdom, and there’s a big difference between building a castle and building a kingdom.” Bob goes on, “You see, castles have moats to keep creepy people out, but kingdoms have bridges to let everyone in. Castles have dungeons for people who ha...

“When you understand that life is a test, you realize that nothing is insignificant in your life.”

A thought by Rick Warren, (2012-10-23) from his book, The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For? (Purpose Driven Life, The) (p. 57). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. To realize that from God’s perspective life is a test goes a long way in determining how you handle your life. It is important to see that in testing your character is both developed and revealed. Rick goes on to say that “even the smallest incident has significance for your character development. Every day is an important day, and every second is a growth opportunity to deepen your character, to demonstrate love, or to depend on God.” So there is a God purpose behind each situation in your life. Even the bad ones are there to strengthen you and develop you. You see those bad situations are really good ones because they are there for your good. I start each day with a reminder that God is good. Not every situation that is going to come in my day is good but because G...

“What areas of my personality, background, and physical appearance am I struggling to accept?”

A thought by Rick Warren, (2012-10-23) from his book, The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For? (Purpose Driven Life, The) (p. 35). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. Rick posed this question at the end of his chapter, You Are Not an Accident. In this chapter he deals with the fact that God created you the way you are with a purpose. In other words you are not an accident. I am also reading the Apostle John’s view of Jesus and what He said and did while He was here on earth. In the beginning of Chapter 9 there is a story about a blind man. And the disciples who were with Him asked Him a good question, “Who sinned, this man or his parents that he was born blind? ” Have you ever asked the same thing about something in you that you don’t like? Like that characteristic is a curse or something. Society has set a standard that is not a standard of God. Remember, He created you and you are not an accident. Je...

Just Continue That Thought...

Search This Blog