God’s purposes, your passions, and your unique skill set combine to form your life’s mission.

There is a lot of talk out there about “discovering” your purpose. I’d like to suggest that clues to your God-given purpose are already in plain sight. For example, you can tell a duck was made to swim in the water because it has webbed feet. And you can tell a bird was meant to fly because it has wings. Everything that God designed has been designed with a purpose, so it makes sense that if you take a good look at how He has designed you, you will discover clues that will point you toward your God-given purpose.

To begin to understand your God-given purpose, begin by asking two questions.

What are your passions?

To begin to identify clues for your God-given purpose, first take an inventory of your passions. You can often identify them by thinking about what emotionally moves you. Anger, sadness, pain, and joy are good indicators of passion.

Do you get fired up about injustices done to the elderly? Are you overcome when you hear beautiful music? Do foreign cultures excite you? When you see a hungry child, does your heart break? When you make a list of what moves you, you will discover your passions which can be road signs pointing to purpose.

Let me also add that if you are passionate about something, then you probably enjoy it, too. During your spare time, what do you like to do? Are you drawn to particular tasks when you have free time? If time passes quickly during a particular task, it’s also a good indication of passion.

What are your natural skills and talents?

Next, take note of your natural skills and talents. Do you write with ease while others agonize over placing words on a page? Do you always remain calm in a crisis? Are you skilled at settling disputes between people? Do others come to you for advice? Are you great at sales or building objects? Are you athletic? More than likely, you have more than one special skill. I suggest making a list of them to identify additional clues to your God-given purpose.

As you consider both of the above questions, remember that the intersection of your skills, talents and passions is unique because no one else is quite like you.

There’s also something else to think about to understand your God-given purpose: God’s purposes. Since He created you, then all that you are, including your passions and skills and talents, belong to Him. And since you have been created on purpose, He has a plan for you to serve Him.

God has a Master Plan for the universe: to be glorified and to have a relationship with the people He made. He has invited you to participate in that plan, so it only makes sense that you should consider how you can use your skills, talents, and passions for Him. Certainly you have been made to do more than just build your own little kingdom for the few years you’re here on earth.

Make an impact.

These three factors: Your skills, passions, and God’s purposes intersect with each other to create what I call The Life Impact Triangle.

 

When your passions, skills, talents and God’s purposes, intersect and you participate in God’s Master Plan to glorify Him, then you can experience fulfillment—and you can make a big impact for Him. Not only that, but a deep sense of meaning and purpose in your life is dependent on each point of the triangle. If one is missing, you may experience momentary happiness, but you’ll miss out on fulfillment.

Think about what this means.

You can have a full life with clarity of purpose. You can know that you are aligned with your Creator’s vision for your life, which will give you peace and fulfillment. And if that’s not enough, consider that when you are a good and faithful steward of your skills and passions, you will receive eternal rewards in heaven. This is what it means to live a life of impact both here and in eternity.

What are your passions, skills and talents? And how can you marry your passions, skills and talents to accomplish God’s purposes in the world? Understanding and implementing the answers to these questions is how you can have a life of impact for God. This is His invitation to fulfillment. Go for it!