PURPOSE? EVEN DURING SUMMER VACATION?

Curtis J. Wahlberg

When I was in elementary school, I always looked forward to summer vacation. Yet, I wasn't always happy during those summer months. I felt something was missing in my life—especially on rainy days. My brothers and I would play plenty of games, and we also got into plenty of trouble on occasion.

By the time I was in junior high school, things started to change. I was getting busier with lawn mowing jobs and summer sports. My summers from eighth to twelfth grade were the best. They went by quickly. Every day I had a purpose for getting out of bed and out of the house. This feeling of purpose even made going back to school in the fall a whole lot better. I actually looked forward to the new activities and learning. It now seems that the busiest summers and the busiest school years were my favorites.

I've learned that a feeling of purpose makes any time more enjoyable. People naturally feel better about themselves when they have a purpose. Lying around the house sure sounds nice. Yet, it's really a sense of purpose that makes life worth living, and that's the best feeling.

What you may not realize is that God gives each of His children a special purpose that needs to be fulfilled. To spend a day without purpose is, in essence, to spend a day not being yourself.

The best way to find one's purpose is to understand something of one's relation to God. First and foremost, God is good. He is active, and this divine activity is constructive, important, purposeful, and loving. When we're clear about what God is and what God is doing, we're better prepared to find our purpose as God's likeness, the expression of God. We then find ways that feel natural to express activity and usefulness—maybe through sports, playing music, or by helping more around the house.

Finding one's purpose doesn't necessarily happen in an instant. It's sort of like growing into a new pair of shoes. Bit by bit, though, we'll all find new and greater ways of expressing the important purpose that God has given us. When we begin to see more of that purpose in life, we might find that we're right at home with playing the piano, with doing yard work, or with one of so many other activities.

It's good to remember that we are all children of God, and as children of God, our purpose is to express spiritual qualities and to see those qualities expressed in others. Fulfilling our purpose is an exciting, ongoing journey that we can do any time of the year—even when it's raining.

Curtis J. Wahlberg
Bensalem, Pennsylvania

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