Our individual Purpose
As Christians, we have heard over and over how special each and every one of us are. How God himself choose us, has a plan for us, and gave his life for us. Yet, we are human, and at times, can't help but judge our worth by looking at the lives and talents of others. Sometimes I feel that I have no purpose in life, that I have not accomplished anything that is of any importance. Oh, I know that I have been a stay-at-home mother and wife and that is important, but what have I REALLY DONE?! Having the world swirl around me, I begin to doubt that God is using me...after all I don't have a degree, little less a masters, I don't have a career outside my home (I always have to remind everyone that being a full-time wife and mother is a career) or even a home business that brings in a paycheck, I am not up to receive any awards, and I am not a facilitator or leader for any groups, studies, or projects. All these things are accomplishments to be proud of and very good...I'm just kind of ordinary...kind of simple.
Today, as I was having some quiet time and reading my bible I reread the story about the woman at the well. Let me tell you about her. The woman was a Samaritan...the Samaritans were hated by the Jews, so that was the first strike against her. The second strike against her was that she had been married five times. And the third strike was that she was unloved and rejected in life. This was a woman that surely questioned her purpose in life. But at noon one day, in the hot sun, she makes her way to the well in the middle of town. There, at the well, she encounters Jesus and he speaks to her, to her amazement (normally Jews would ignore her). He asked her for a drink. They have a conversation in which she honest and frank with him...this is unusual...for even good Jewish women were frowned upon if found conversing with men that were not family members. Actually, Jesus was interested in more than water, he was interested in this woman's heart. He spoke to her with such respect, something she had not experienced in a long time if ever. Here was a Jew who didn't care if she was a Samaritan. Here was a man who didn't look down on her as a woman. Here was the closest thing to gentleness she'd ever seen. He was kind and kindness has a way of inviting honesty, so when he told her to "Go, call your husband and come back" (John 4:16). She told this kind Jewish man the truth..."I have no husband" (John 4:17). And Jesus with no criticism, not lectures, no anger, answered with, "You're right. You have had five husbands and the man you are with now is not your husband." (John 4:18). Jesus wasn't seeking perfection, he was seeking honesty...and this woman was amazed. The story goes on to reveal more....deep down into her soul. This woman, who was a five-time divorcee, who was still living in "sin", had a hungry heart, an insatiable appetite for God. And of all the Samaritans to be searching for God-a woman? And an outcast among outcasts! But she asked that question, "Where is God? My people say he is on the mountain. Your people say he is in Jerusalem. I don't know where he is." (John 4:20).
Because of her heart... her hunger...her insatiable appetite for God, Jesus chose her to personally receive the secret of the ages. Jesus didn't reveal the secret to King Herod. He didn't request an audience of the Sanhedrin and tell them the news, it wasn't with the colonnades of a Roman court that he announced his identity...it was in the shade of a well in a rejected land to an ostracized woman.
"Then Jesus declared. "I who speak to you am He". (John 4:26).
Jesus had a plan and a purpose for this woman even though she didn't lead any bible studies, didn't sit on any committees, teach any women's groups, have a BA or a Master's Degree. It was his plan to announce to her that he was the MESSIAH! We don't know anything else about what she did or didn't do with the rest of her life but we do know that her life wasn't in the limelight, it probably wasn't in the headlines, she wasn't getting awards or big paychecks, but none of that matters. God's plan for her was an important plan...she was special...he made her with her in mind to reveal his identity to!
The next time I start to doubt my purpose, the next time I start to measure my worth by the world's standards, I am going to call to mind the "woman at the well". For each of us he has a different plan...a different purpose. I know my purpose in this life...my God, my husband, my children, my parents, my relationships, my home...God, for now, has made these things the purpose of my life. For this I am grateful,... sometimes maybe simple, maybe ordinary but always ready and grateful that he has a purpose and a plan for me and you!
Today, as I was having some quiet time and reading my bible I reread the story about the woman at the well. Let me tell you about her. The woman was a Samaritan...the Samaritans were hated by the Jews, so that was the first strike against her. The second strike against her was that she had been married five times. And the third strike was that she was unloved and rejected in life. This was a woman that surely questioned her purpose in life. But at noon one day, in the hot sun, she makes her way to the well in the middle of town. There, at the well, she encounters Jesus and he speaks to her, to her amazement (normally Jews would ignore her). He asked her for a drink. They have a conversation in which she honest and frank with him...this is unusual...for even good Jewish women were frowned upon if found conversing with men that were not family members. Actually, Jesus was interested in more than water, he was interested in this woman's heart. He spoke to her with such respect, something she had not experienced in a long time if ever. Here was a Jew who didn't care if she was a Samaritan. Here was a man who didn't look down on her as a woman. Here was the closest thing to gentleness she'd ever seen. He was kind and kindness has a way of inviting honesty, so when he told her to "Go, call your husband and come back" (John 4:16). She told this kind Jewish man the truth..."I have no husband" (John 4:17). And Jesus with no criticism, not lectures, no anger, answered with, "You're right. You have had five husbands and the man you are with now is not your husband." (John 4:18). Jesus wasn't seeking perfection, he was seeking honesty...and this woman was amazed. The story goes on to reveal more....deep down into her soul. This woman, who was a five-time divorcee, who was still living in "sin", had a hungry heart, an insatiable appetite for God. And of all the Samaritans to be searching for God-a woman? And an outcast among outcasts! But she asked that question, "Where is God? My people say he is on the mountain. Your people say he is in Jerusalem. I don't know where he is." (John 4:20).
Because of her heart... her hunger...her insatiable appetite for God, Jesus chose her to personally receive the secret of the ages. Jesus didn't reveal the secret to King Herod. He didn't request an audience of the Sanhedrin and tell them the news, it wasn't with the colonnades of a Roman court that he announced his identity...it was in the shade of a well in a rejected land to an ostracized woman.
"Then Jesus declared. "I who speak to you am He". (John 4:26).
Jesus had a plan and a purpose for this woman even though she didn't lead any bible studies, didn't sit on any committees, teach any women's groups, have a BA or a Master's Degree. It was his plan to announce to her that he was the MESSIAH! We don't know anything else about what she did or didn't do with the rest of her life but we do know that her life wasn't in the limelight, it probably wasn't in the headlines, she wasn't getting awards or big paychecks, but none of that matters. God's plan for her was an important plan...she was special...he made her with her in mind to reveal his identity to!
The next time I start to doubt my purpose, the next time I start to measure my worth by the world's standards, I am going to call to mind the "woman at the well". For each of us he has a different plan...a different purpose. I know my purpose in this life...my God, my husband, my children, my parents, my relationships, my home...God, for now, has made these things the purpose of my life. For this I am grateful,... sometimes maybe simple, maybe ordinary but always ready and grateful that he has a purpose and a plan for me and you!
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