You have a purpose – I believe that you have a calling on your life. You were uniquely made for a special purpose. There is nobody quite like you. You may not believe it but it is true.

I was reading the story of Samuel today. You may recall that Samuel’s mother Hannah had previously been unable to have children. Overcome with the grief of being barren, Hannah wept and prayed to God saying, If God would give her a son that she would devote that son to the Lord. God heard Hannah’s prayer and gave her a son which she named Samuel. As soon as he was weaned, Samuel went to work in the temple for Eli.

One night when Eli and Samuel had gone to bed, God spoke to Samuel. But Samuel, unable to imagine that God was speaking to him, mistakenly thought he was being called by Eli. Samuel ran to Eli’s room responding, “Here I am.” Eli dismissed Samuel saying, “I did not call. Go back and lie down.” Again, God called Samuel and again Samuel ran to Eli’s room and said, “Here I am. You called me.” Once again, the perplexed Eli said, “I did not call you go back and lie down.” God called Samuel a third time and once again Samuel ran to Eli. Eli may be slow but by now he had figured out that it was God who was calling Samuel. Eli instructed Samuel to go back to bed and if he should hear the voice again to answer, “Speak Lord, for your servant is listening.” The next time God called Samuel, Samuel responded as instructed by Eli and God communicated His plan very clearly to Samuel.

I think a lot of times, we are like Samuel. God is calling us to a special purpose and yet like Samuel, we are unable to imagine that God has a unique purpose for us. Our inability to imagine that God really has a plan for us blocks our ability to hear Him. As I have said many times, I believe that our individual purpose lies at the intersection of 1) our talents, 2) our passions, and 3) the needs of others. God is calling us to our purpose but too often like Samuel, we mistakenly run off after other pursuits. God calls and we run off after a job or career that is outside of our purpose. God calls and we run off after social or recreational activities. God calls and we spend a disproportionate amount of time on kids’ activities. God calls and too often we chase after meaningless distractions. Where is God calling you? I believe that he is calling you to a purpose that lies at the crossroads of your talents, your passions, and the needs of others. What are you passionate about? What are you doing about it?