Driven to a Purpose

For the past 5+ years, I've been focusing my attention on the age old question, "What am I going to do with my life?" More often than not, it seems to revolve around the career path I'd like to take, the salary that would allow me to live comfortably (while satisfying my shopping habits!), and one that is easily transferable due to my ever changing geographical desires. After flip-flopping my way through high school and college, I graduated with a degree in Business Management, a path that I never thought I would take. The "plan" was to move to Nashville the minute I walked off the stage with diploma in hand, but my lack of reality drove me head on into my Aunts' basement apartment with two jobs and a less than glamorous lifestyle. Eventually, that stirring, unsettling feeling in my heart became my sole companion and I realized it was time to move, both figuratively and physically. Through all my ups and downs, taking this road instead of that one, I held steady to the fact that I am made for greatness. Not one person in this world is void of that calling, despite the contradictions fed to us daily.

I recently came across a quote that I wish would have come along months and months ago, but nonetheless it found its way to me in time.

"And the day came when the RISK to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom." --Anais Nin

There's a point in our lives when I think God pokes us between the eyes and forces us out of our comatose state to see the person we could be, the life we could have, the dreams we could be living, if only we're willing to risk our complacency. I was facing this issue then and am at a crossroads with it once again. Having jumped off the deep end to make the move to Nashville, I came to a point where my jobs (yes, plural!) were consuming me body, mind and soul in the worst way possible. Slowly, I began to see that my relationships, both heavenly and earthly were being affected and I was being asked by the One who holds my heart, "Is it worth it?" I cannot claim to be a biblical scholar, but I'm fairly certain that in not one version does it say love your job, love money, love exhaustion, etc...in fact I believe it says the exact opposite, all encompassed into love God and love people. Period. God had given me exactly what I asked for, I was financially stable after months of pinching pennies, but at what cost? True reality was charging at me like a runaway freight train and I was standing on the tracks just waiting for it to hit me. It was no longer a matter of what my dream job is or where my next paycheck is coming from, but what is my purpose, and am I doing everything I can to work towards that goal? I've realized that it's not about whether your job is fulfilling or not, but are you fulfilling your job?

With that idea of purpose in mind, I'd like to take you back to January of this year when an earthquake of epic proportions hit Haiti, an already devastated and unstable country. I think its safe to say that it rocked our world tremendously. Swarms of people, money and supplies flooded the country at a rapid, unexpected pace and gave rise to a movement of people of action. Amidst all of the debates, not one person deserves life over another; whatever side you were on, the people of Haiti needed help and still do. My heart was breaking and nothing I could do seemed to mend that. In the weeks following the tragedy, I couldn't seem to shake this jittery feeling (like a kid who has had one too many marshmallow peeps on Easter morning) and concluded that there had to be something I could do. With minimal finances and lack of ability to pick up and leave, I started creating. It never occurred to me in the past that hobbies could become acts of service and love, they were there as an outlet to our sometimes mediocre lives. Crafting greeting cards has more recently become a stress-relief and economic necessity, but after posting a few pictures of my creations, the feedback gave rise to an inspired idea, which leads me to Vision #1: Design and sell cards for Made4Love.

The vision is to create packs of handmade greeting cards with all profits going directly to world relief efforts. I'm particularly fond of Samaritan's Purse and World Vision, who have been dedicated to serving those in need throughout the world. There is a lot to be done for the cause and will most likely require more time than I can give, but I'm alright with being tired and exhausted if it's for the building of a kingdom that is filled with people of action. I'm welcome to suggestions on designs, website & logo creation, buyers, etc so please, don't hold back! Below are some of the cards I've made recently:

I think its about time we take a step back for a fresh look so that we can make a few strides forward. We're all called to greatness, whether the action is seemingly insignificant or over the top. Each of us serves a purpose that we must discover in order to fit the pieces of this puzzle we call life, together. So, what's your purpose?

Called to love,

-L