The French say it so much better.
raison d’etre
meaning reason for being/existing.
It just sounds so much more delightful than saying
my purpose in life.
Whether or not we admit it, we all have times in our lives when we are searching for our reason for existing, our
raison d’etre.
It can, at times seem a very subjective search.
As I read a blog post, called Sometimes our Biggest Question has an Easy Answer by Tsh Oxenreider, (at http://www.incourage.me) I was struck with how easy and answer she presented to that oft asked question,
what is your,
what is my
raison d’etre?
(reason for being?)
Here is what Tsh has to say :
You could say I’ve been neck-deep in Christianese for most of my life. I grew up in the church, and eventually became a professional Christian a la full-time ministry. I know my way backwards and forwards around Sunday morning flannel boards.
So I know one of the most common questions asked by well-intended followers of Jesus, and it’s one many people spend their entire lives wrestling with. I wrestled with it for a long time, too.
I don’t wrestle with it anymore, because I discovered the answer quite simply on an uneventful afternoon, when I was reading and journaling and asking God for the millionth time.
The question, of course, is, “What is God’s will for my life?”
I think it’s such a popular wrestled-with question because we sometimes have this idea that God has placed us in a hedged labyrinth, wondering if we’ll find the prize—His right answer. Or maybe we’re blatantly aware of our humanity next to God’s omniscience, and we just don’t want to screw things up with our earth-borne flesh and blood.
Either way, I’ve come to believe that the answer is far easier than we think—because God is good, after all. He wants us to know His will for our life. He delights in us knowing, in fact. He celebrates when we discover the treasure of knowing His will.
I’m fairly certain it’s this: God’s will for our life is wherever our skills meet our passions and burdens. It’s the intersection overlapping how He’s uniquely gifted us, dancing in tandem with the things we’re passionate about.
That’s it.
It’s similar to Emily’s recent revelation about the importance of discovering what’s bothering you. Those burdens, those things that rile you up and either get you excited or get you frustrated—those aren’t accidents. And where those things meet your God-given skills? Well, ma’am… you’re on to something there.
So I encourage you—look for that spot. Explore what’s stirring inside. What gets your heart beating? And then scratch out a list of ways you’re made. Spend time discovering what makes you you.
How the two might work together? That might very well be His will for your life.
Sometimes, the answer to God’s will for your life is just right under your nose.
itsawonderfilledlife 