Do we discover our Divine Purpose with trumpets and fanfare?
Or, do we walk through experience and lessons to ready us?
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As with everything I write or say, it comes from the standpoint that I am imperfect, limited in knowledge and am merely the sum total of my own experiences in life. Instead, my intent is the sharing of my experiences and the lessons I have learned throughout my life, and the hope that those lessons may help others who are on this journey of life.
Like anyone else, I can look back at my life and see everything I did wrong. I can see everything as I wish I would have done it. That is the easy part. Hindsight is always 20/20. Looking at my past through the filter of who I am today always reveals the errors. The question becomes, am I happy and content with who I am right now? If so, then regardless of the mistakes made, each has shaped and formed me into the who I am in this moment.
We have three choices regarding how we live. Number one, we can choose to live in our past; constantly reliving every mistake, every bad or sour relationship and wishing we had done things differently. Number two: we can live in fear of the future; incorporating every menacing thought and memory from our past and projecting this on our future. Or, number three, we can live in the moment; in the now through our heart.
In essence, all that exists is the now. The past is gone. The future has yet to happen. But, the now is here; here and now. So we are left to ask the question, “Who am I right now? Am I content, happy and satisfied?” You see, if we live in our past and constantly relive our mistakes, we will never live in the now. But what about the looming questions about why we are here? What is our purpose?
After spending years doing the inner work on myself which freed me from any negative, nagging inner voices, I learned how to live in the now. And when I do think of the future, I see it through the lens of being in the now. Therefore, I only see brightness, lightness and love. So then, how do we know our Divine Purpose? And by Divine, I mean “Our reason for being”. This is where most people get extremely confused. I think most people expect a Divine Purpose to be announced with Pomp and Circumstance. Perhaps even announced through trumpets and a large fanfare. After all, that’s the drama we see in motion pictures any time a character awakens to their Divine Purpose. But, I have found that there is not a Divine Purpose, but actually multiple Divine Purposes. And, there is no trumpeted announcement to us by anyone or anything. So, how do we know what it is?
The first thing to understand is that a Divine Purpose could be something as simple as, for instance, helping out an elderly neighbor. Imagine that you move in to a new apartment. Next door to that apartment is an elderly widowed neighbor in her mid eighties. Now, imagine that you begin to assist her in things such as putting out her garbage, picking up groceries at the store for her. Imagine you drive her to her Doctor appointments and pick up her medication. All in all, you begin to do all of these things because you feel it in your heart to do so. And you imagine what it is like for someone of her age to live alone and have limited ability to do regular things.
So, while you are doing things for this woman which seem easy for you to do, imagine it from her perspective? You have made an elderly woman so very happy. You’ve not only given her assistance, but also companionship and friendship. In essence, you probably would never realize just how much of an impact you had on the woman both emotionally and spiritually. You did this for three short years until the woman passes away peacefully. For those three years, helping that woman was your Divine Purpose. The events that brought you to where you lived and arranged to have this woman living next door were all part of a Divine Plan. But, you didn’t know that or see it at the time. You were being you and living from your heart.
The point I am making is that each of us will serve many Divine Plans and Purposes. As in the case of this elderly lady, your presence in her life gave her a very happy and fulfilling last few years. Without you, it would have been a dire, lonely existence. In fact, you may very well have added those few years to her life. And though you do not see this, you will receive the very love you showed to her coming back at you in other areas of your life.
So the way to discover and know if you are acting in your Divine Purpose, whether once or time and time again, is to feel it in your heart. Not everyone’s purpose is to cure a disease and win the Nobel Prize. It could be God placing you in a position where your gifts and talents are needed and used to help others. When you feel led in your heart to do something, and you feel your heart singing while doing it, then you will know that you are living and doing your Divine Purpose. So, live through your heart. After all, it is our direct connection to the Creator. And no matter how large or small our actions, when we are in service to others and feel our heart singing, that is all the fanfare one needs. You ARE doing Divine Service and expressing your Divine Purpose!
Namaste!