A Quest for Purpose

Almost two weeks ago, I began a quest for purpose.  I'm thankful to Falen at Upward not Inward for introducing me to the Chazown Experience.  It was exactly what I needed.  Chazown is from the Hebrew meaning dream, vision or revelation.  Finding your Chazown is about fulfilling your purpose, the one God had in mind when He created you. 

I didn't realize that I needed to find my vision as I thought I had things under control.  I was certain that I knew what the next steps looked like in my life so I set off on a brand new journey.  The thing is, nothing was working out.  I didn't see any results, all this extra stress had been added to my life, I was even more confused than I was when I began the process and I could not figure out what was going on.  I really thought that God was directing me on this new path and when I didn't see any results, I began to feel let down and I started to give up.

Then, I found the Chazown Experience and I had an epiphany:  the past six months had happened just as God intended.  It isn't that things didn't work out - they just didn't work out the way I had thought they would.  Everything that I had experienced was to direct me to this realization:  my work life is not the area I need to be focusing on right now.  I have been feeling empty and disconnected but it isn't because of my work (the type of work that I do is actually directly related to my purpose).  It is because I do not feel that I know God like I want to and I have not been living a lifestyle congruent with my values.  These are the two areas I need to focus on:  my relationship with God and my physical life (exercise, reducing stress, finding balance).

Total light bulb moment.  Now, the other three spokes (financial life, relationships with people and work life) are all important as well but it would be too challenging to focus on all five areas at the same time.  I chose the two spokes that need to be my focus right now and I was completely amazed that work life is not one of them.  What about the journey I had embarked upon last April?  Do I regret the hard work, tears and stress of the past six months?  Not at all - everything has led me here, right where I am meant to be.

Through the Chazown Experience, I identified my Core Values:  authenticity, compassion, family, honesty, humor, integrity, joy, patience, servant leadership and thankfulness.  I also realized my Spiritual Gifts:  compassion/mercy, discernment, encouragement, faith and writing.  I was given the opportunity to reflect on my past experiences and see how they have shaped me into the woman I am today.  These various assessments lead to developing a purpose statement.  Mine is: 

To encourage others to reach their full potential by helping them embrace their strengths and find their voice.

How freeing.  My next step is developing a plan to reach the goals I have set.  I'm very excited and I feel like I am on the right track.  I'm not just seeking my purpose but I'm being purposeful.  It is a level of intention that I have never felt.  We walk so many different paths in our lives and so often it feels as though we are walking in darkness.  For the first time, I feel like my path is lit.  I can clearly see the path, the varying twists and turns and my vision of what is at the end of the path is clearer than it ever has been before.  Of course, I don't know exactly what the future holds and I know that there will be challenges but I have been given the gift of realizing God's vision for my life.  This process has been life changing and I highly recommend it to others.