“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

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