The following is an excerpt from
the book
The Four Spiritual Laws of Prosperity
by Edwene
Gaines
Chapter 9
Finding Your Divine Purpose
At one time or another you've probably asked yourself,
"What is the purpose of my life? What is its meaning? Why am I here on Earth,
and what am I supposed to be doing?" Chances are, you work hard, whether
you take care of a household or have a job outside of the home. Your days
are filled with seemingly endless chores and tasks like getting the oil changed
in your car and going to the grocery store. Perhaps sometimes, when you get
tired or stressed out, life can seem like just one long and meaningless "to
do" list with a bland retirement and a gold-plated watch at the end of it.
You may have a sense that given the right circumstances, you could do much
more than you are doing now. Perhaps you long to make a real difference in
the world, to assign meaning to your life, and to listen to the yearnings
of your very soul.
All of the great and wise people who ever made a difference on planet Earth
heard their souls' yearnings and chose a purpose for their lives. People
such as Gandhi, Mother Teresa, and Nelson Mandela seem to have been driven
by a self-defined purpose that they chose for themselves. Now, we often think
of such people with a sense of awe and respect as if they were somehow different
from us -- better, smarter, more saintly, or more courageous. Sometimes they
hardly seem human. But the truth is that the only real difference between
you and those people is that they all seemed to have a clearly defined life
purpose that they selected for themselves and then embraced with steadiest
dedication and unshakeable determination.
You have that very same opportunity as well. Every single one of us has some
special gift, some special interest, some special talent, some special way
of impacting this world, so that it becomes a better place for everyone.
You have the potential to live at the level of Gandhi or Mother Teresa. The
question you must ask yourself is, "Am I willing to define, embrace, and
hold fast to my divine purpose, prayerfully, persistently, and patiently?"
If the answer is yes, then the impossible truly can become possible in your
life.
Now, finding and following your divine purpose is different from setting
your goals. A goal is a tangible desire with an end result, but your divine
purpose is really a way of living. For example, a goal might be to learn
to paint with watercolors, but your divine purpose might be to bring joy
to peoples' lives through your art. Another goal might be to get a PhD, but
the divine purpose would be to live in the world of the intellect, the world
of ideas. Your goals have finite deadlines, but your divine purpose is something
that you will be working with and growing with for the rest of your life.
Years ago, a teacher explained to me that if I wanted to fully realize my
potential in this lifetime the first thing I had to do was look out upon
my world (understanding that we all look out through our own consciousness
to see different worlds) and notice all the things that need healing, or
fixing, or transforming.
Very frankly, in my world, I see that a multitude of areas where we as a
human family need to direct our attention, change our priorities, get rid
of the systems and concepts that are not working, and begin anew. Just to
name a few examples, I believe that some new thinking needs to be done about
the way we take care of our children, treat the environment, feed the hungry,
share with the homeless, and provide for the disabled, the elderly, the
imprisoned, the hurt, the abused, and the
lonely.
The task, then, my teacher instructed, is that after
looking carefully at the world, we must pick out one thing that we feel needs
transforming, something that would be fun for us to get involved in repairing,
shifting, restructuring, fixing, and perfecting. Please note I use the word
fun. This is not about martyrdom or great personal sacrifice. It is
about focus, joy, and a sense of purposeful possible achievement.
Next, we must take a bold step and make a 100 percent
commitment to "fixing" the problem we have identified, followed by devoting
our energies, time, talents, skills, and money to transforming that one piece
of the earthly puzzle. Even as you're working toward solving the problem,
keep in mind that what is really important is not whether the problem
ever gets solved; it's that you are working toward the solution with dedication
and persistence.
We are children of God. But children eventually grow
up. And the evolving and advancing you will do when you begin to live according
to your divine purpose is part of that growing up.
When you choose your divine purpose, you are framing
your life with meaning. You are also taking an important step in your spiritual
development: to demonstrate to yourself that you are a divine being and to
prove to yourself that you have the power to affect change -- that you are
bigger, stronger, more powerful, and more creative than you
thought.
It was Emerson who said, "Oh Man! There is no planet,
sun or star could hold you, if you but knew what you are." (Now, I know what
he meant to say was, "Oh Woman! There is no planet . . .") There is
nothing in the universe that could hold us, if only we knew our true
power.
Copyright © 2005 Edwene Gaines
Edwene Gaines is a widely known seminar leader who works
with thousands of people each year across the United States and in South
America on personal issues of prosperity, integrity, commitment, forgiveness,
and finding purpose for their lives. An ordained Unity minister since 1979,
she is the owner-director of Rock Ridge Retreat Center in Valley Head, Alabama,
where she holds retreats and conferences several times a year. To learn more
about her speaking and seminar schedule, visit
www.prosperityproducts.com.
Reprinted from:
The
Four Spiritual Laws of Prosperity: A Simple Guide to Unlimited Abundance
by Edwene Gaines © 2005 Rodale Inc. Permission granted by Rodale, Inc.,
Emmaus, PA 18098. Available wherever books
are sold or directly from the publisher by calling (800) 848-4735 or visit
their website at
www.rodalestore.com.
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