Got Purpose?

Being raised in quite a hypocriticle home, I was VERY confused when it came to Christianity. To be honest, I still am - and it's a struggle to sort through the half truth's and just plain nonsense I learned growing up. The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren has been helping me A LOT. I wanted to share some of what helped me here recently.

What Drives Your Life?

I observed that the basic motive for success is the driving force of envy and jealousy!
(Ecclesiastes 4:4)

The man without a purpose is like a ship without a rudder - a waif, a nothing, a no man.
Thomas Carlyle

Everyone's life is driven by something.
Most dictionaries define the verb drive as "to guide, to control, or to direct." Whether you are driving a car, a nail, or a golf ball, you are guiding, controlling, and directing it at that moment. What is the driving force in your life?
Right now you may be driven by a problem, a pressure, or a deadline. You may be driven by a painful memory, a hauting fear, or an unconscious belief. There are hundreds of circumstances, values, and emotions that can drive your life. Here are five of the most common ones:

Guilt, Resentment, Fear, Materialism and Approval.

(I'm only including those I struggled with. You can get the book to find out more about the others.)

Many people are driven by resentment and anger. They hold on to hurts and never get over them. Instead of releasing their pain through forgiveness, they rehearse it over and over in their minds. Some resentment driven people "clam up" and internalize their anger, while others "blow up" and explode it onto others. Both responses are unhealthy and unhelpful.
Resentment always hurts you more than it does the person you resent. While your offender has probably forgotten the offense and gone on with life, you continue to stew in your pain, perpetuating the past.
Listen: Those who have hurt you in the past cannot continue to hurt you now unless you hold on to the pain through resentment. Your past is past! Nothing will change it. You are only hurting yourself with your bitterness. For your own sake, learn from it, and then let it go. The Bible says, "To worry yourself to death with resentment would be a foolish, sensless thing to do."

Many people are driven by fear. Their fears may be a result of a traumatic experience, unrealistic expectations, growing up in a high-control home, or even genetic predisposition. Regardless of the cause, fear-driven people often miss great opportunities because they're afraid to venture out. Instead they play it save, avoiding risks and trying to maintain the status quo.
Fear is a self-imposed prison that will keep you from becoming what God intends for you to be. You must move against it with the weapons of faith and love. The Bible says, "Well-formed love banishes fear. Since fear is crippling, a fearful life - fear of death, fear of judgment - is one not yet fully formed in love."

Many people are driven by the need for approval. They allow the expectations of parents or spouses or children or teachers or friends to control their lives. Many adults are still trying to earn the approval of unpleasable parents. Others are driven by peer pressure, always worried by what others might think. Unfortunately, those who follow the crowd usually get lost in it.
I don't know all the keys to success, but one key to failure is to try to please everyone. Being controlled by the opinions of others is a guranteed way to miss God's pruposes for your life. Jesus said "No one can serve two masters."

There are other forces that can drive your life but all lead to the same dead end: unused potential, unnecessary stress, and an unfulfilled life.
This forty-five day journey will show you how to live a purpose-driven life - a life guided, controlled, and directed by God's purposes. Nothing matters more than knowing God's purposes for your life, and nothing can compensate for not knowing them - not success, wealth, fame, or pleasure. Without a purpose, life is motion without meaning, activity without direction, and events without reason. Without a purpose, life is trivial, petty, and pointless.

If you decide to go out and get the book, let me know - I'd like to go through this journey with you :-)