God’s Purpose
I believe God has a purpose for all His children. Sometimes, that purpose is known at a young age. For example, the teenager that loves children decides to become a kindergarten teacher. Sometimes, that purpose changes due to unforeseen circumstances; like trauma. Either way, if we are called to God, He has a purpose for us.
Every time I think about what God’s purpose might be for me, I remember something my therapist said to me once. She said, “God doesn’t waste any suffering.” I was furious when she said it. I took it to mean that He caused my suffering to appease His purpose for me. Due to this, I spent a lot of time angry at God. My perception of that couldn’t have been further from the truth. Thanks to human will-power and the evils in this world He could only do so much to get me to see and feel Him. Unfortunately, in the middle of my struggle I was blind to His subtle nudges. I don’t even think striking people down with lightning bolts would have gained my attention until I was ready.
When I look back at my struggle now, I can see some of His attempts that originally I was oblivious to. Whether it was people in the right place, at the right time or people not showing up when they were supposed to. Sometimes, a perfectly placed phone call or a sign that told me to hold on at just the right moment. The little things that you don’t realize are even things until you’re looking back wondering how you survived. It was when I started realizing those “God Moments” that it started to occur to me that He wasn’t causing my struggle, I was and the evil around me was. He had been trying to get me out of it for a long time.
God does not rejoice in our pain and suffering. There’s no reason to like the things we’ve been through or the hurt that it caused. With that being said though, our experiences could potentially benefit another that’s suffering by showing them there is a way out and that healing is possible. As I said before, “God doesn’t waste any suffering”. Now I can see the truth in that sentiment. He didn’t want me to experience the things I experienced but I did and neither He nor I can change that. What can be done is using those experiences to spread light, love, and compassion to others in similar situations.
I will never claim to understand all there is to understand about God. It’s just been recently that I’ve accepted what I feel I know and have experienced with Him. What His purpose is for me, I am not fully certain. More and more though I believe He wants me to use my experiences to help others. What that means exactly I’m not sure. What I am certain about is that if I keep having faith in Him and believing He’s there for me and loves me He will keep pointing me in the right direction. He can see the whole picture, I cannot. Today, I choose to believe He sees my purpose and is guiding me to it.
“If we are called to God, He has a purpose for us.”
-JJ