Pain, Passion & Purpose.
pain, passion & purpose.
Written by Mwati Tembo
It’s no coincidence that there are certain things about your intrinsic nature that make you who you are and allow you to uniquely express your gifts, your skills and your reason for being here.
One thing I’ve learnt about purpose is that it doesn’t necessarily look like making a decision and just running with it. For me personally, it’s looked like taking the time to dig deep into parts of my story, unpacking and healing in areas of pain and allowing myself to be on a continuing journey of experimenting, questioning, wrestling. All of this has pointed me to my deepest passions and the journey, in hindsight, looks like a giant tapestry of my life that has come together because of two things: faith and courage. Faith to believe that nothing is ever wasted. Courage to know that purpose won’t always be within the boundaries of my comfort zone.
I’m a big believer that often our greatest pain can lead us to our greatest purpose. Why? Because God has a thing for working every broken, ruined, hopeless thing out for our good and for His glory. What we usually do is try to mask our pain, hide it or run far enough from it so that people don’t see it, know about it or ever hear anything of it. At least, that’s what we think. Can confirm, it doesn’t work. It wasn’t until I was willing enough to bring things into the light and begin my own healing journey that I started to see how everything, the good, the bad and the ugly, if I wasn’t afraid or ashamed of it, continues to paint a picture of grace, redemption, hope and freedom. We really only become who we are designed to be when we learn how to accept all aspects of ourselves, while also learning how to let go of what no longer serves us and embrace what will strengthen us.
I’m also a big believer in learning how to listen to the still small voice within us that wants to draw us to particular interests or causes that bring us joy, and once again, give God glory. Here’s my point: Purpose isn’t shallow. It’s intentional. And the cool part is that our passions are still involved in this. I’ve found that what has often stopped me from walking in the fullness of that, or even beginning to explore that is fear. Fear of what people will think or fear of stepping into the complete unknown. The funny part is that most of what we’re looking for is often on the other side of taking that first step, but that means risking trading what is familiar for what isn’t. It looks like going into a something that may be so radically different from what others expected of you and trading it for doing what is comfortable. It also looks like putting obedience at a higher regard than approval or validation, even from those we love and care about the most in our lives.
God wants you living in the purpose He has for you. Your purpose isn’t just a career or a job. It’s where your unique identity, your story and your passions meet with something that is far greater than yourself. The thing about it is that the core truth of our purpose remains the same but its expression will always evolve. A mother can have purpose in the raising and nurturing of her baby. A university student can have purpose in using their time, skills and discipline to build on knowledge. A barista at a local café can have purpose in getting to know and serve regular customers and get to know them a little more with each brief conversation. The idea of purpose is intrinsic to who we are as people, but it goes beyond what we do. It’s about who we are becoming. Along the way, our identity is being formed, our story is still being written and our passions — when fuelled in the right way, in the right environments and around the right people — can enable us to live meaningful and fulfilling lives.
The journey may look messy. It may seem so uncertain. I want to encourage you to keep going. You might even feel like you’re not progressing. Have faith to believe that as you seek Jesus, He is guiding your every step and have courage to know that all of it is part of what builds and develops your character. When you’ve done your part in learning, healing, and growing, at the right time, the right doors will open and the right opportunities will present themselves for you. And at that point, hopefully you’ll be ready and you won’t miss it.