Have you ever been to an art museum? I haven’t been for a while, but I can remember going to visit the Detroit Institute of Arts as a child. I found art fascinating, while simultaneously confusing.
In fact, many of the art pieces on display were hard to figure out. My friends and I would stand staring at a piece in complete perplexity. After much speculation and deliberation, we would walk away none-the-wiser for the art we had just seen.
I always appreciated artists who painted a clear picture, a landscape and such that I didn’t have to hypothesize about. For those extremely unique pieces, however, how nice it would have been to have the artist standing next to me. If the artist were there, I would have had no doubt what the piece was meant to be. Only the artist could truly tell us the meaning of the piece. The same is true for our lives.
The first step of discovery, as with so many other things, is asking the Creator what you were made for.
We’ve talked about this in an earlier chapter in my book, but I can’t drive home this point enough. Study His word. Spend time getting to know Him and embed in your heart who He says you are.
Basing our identity on what others think is equivalent to asking a five-year-old what the purpose of a beautifully designed painting would be.
He or she could give various answers, but if you want to know what the purpose of that painting is, you would need to go straight to the artist. God is the artist of our lives. He sees the beauty in every seemingly meaningless brushstroke.
The second step of discovery is tearing back the layers of the unspoken, unseen uniqueness of who you are.
It’s discovering the unique DNA He’s placed inside of you. Discovery is not as hard as it looks, trust me, but it is a lifetime commitment.
Look at the way He uniquely created you and embrace it. I love peony flowers. They are my absolute favorite. Every time I think about the process of discovery, I think of peonies. They start out as a smooth ball of potential. As they are exposed to the sunlight, however, they slowly begin to bloom, until finally they transform into one of the most beautiful creations God has made.
As we angle our faces towards Jesus, petal after petal of potential begins to unwrap, each facet contributing to the unique creation He has called us to be in our journey of discovery.
You begin to take strides towards the things you love. Is it cooking? It is painting? Is it a weird over-the-top love for old movies? Gardening? Or just helping others? As you begin your journey with God towards those things, you’ll see Him open up a wonderful myriad of possibilities for your season. Each stride towards these passions God has placed in your heart opens up a new petal of your beauty.
So many people I know are searching for their purpose. Who am I? Who has God created me to be? Besides being the man or woman of character He’s called you to be, enjoying an intimately fulfilling relationship with Him and fulfilling the great commission, the sky is the limit—but you’ve got to develop a discovery mindset.
I want to challenge you to try something new this week and see if you like it. Start discovering the things that make you come alive.
In the end, doing what God is calling and created you to do is the most fulfilling thing you will ever experience. Even if it seems like the last thing in the world you would ever want to do, God knows you much better than you know yourself. What God calls you, you are, even when you don’t think it so.
"Let me leave you with this thought: It's never too late to discover what you truly love."
Photo Credit: Anderson Cavalera
Comments