St. Matthew United Methodist Church

Reaching For Your Divine Purpose

June 29, 2010 | 4 Comments

Written By Nia Holston

We are living in a time of constant change. We are obsessed with the latest technology, always trading up for the most recent I-Pod, or newest version of a popular video game. Bombarded by countess distractions, it is easy to lose your voice in a world that is always in transition. Do we dream of being like JFK or Michelle Obama, or do we settle for being the next Kim Kardashian or Spencer Pratt? It is hard to find meaning in a world where many sacrifice morality for fifteen seconds of fame.

We allow the loss of all hope for a better world cloud our judgments and force us to cling to meaningless distractions, when it is clear what we really long for is a sense of divine purpose. We all seek meaning in our lives, searching for something larger than ourselves. Our individual purposes may vary, but the need to fulfill them and to heed our true calling is universal.

Many of us know who we want to become, yet are constantly sidetracked. We let the fear of being too good, or not good enough, stop our progress. We let our pasts, hinder us from achieving our goals. But, the reality is, those past mistakes, and those opportunities lost, cannot be retrieved. Instead of letting past mistakes hinder us, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin the work of remaking ourselves into the people we are destined to become. Maybe we were told we couldn’t achieve our goals. Maybe our pasts were filled with cynics who broke our spirits and tore us down. Maybe success was never expected of us because we didn’t have certain opportunities.

But, the true character of a person is shown through their ability to overcome setbacks and continue to move forward to their purpose. It is the student who struggles with schoolwork, only to receive mediocre grades. It is the student, once cut from his high school team, who perseveres, and later becomes the greatest professional basketball player in history. It is the dedication of a kid from Atlanta, Georgia, knowing his purpose at a young age, rising from obscurity, and years later, on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, declaring he had a dream. These are the role models we look towards, and the ones we learn from, not despite their past mistakes, but because of their mistakes and because they kept moving forward, in spite of them.

So, how can we begin to define our purpose and move to reach it? As President Barack Obama stated, first, we must reach competence in our respective areas, which we can achieve by obtaining a basic education. Next, is excellence, a higher level which only some seek. The final level is mastery, which allows us to attain a skill level only a select few possess. I urge you to find your true purpose and master it. Do not let your youth, your fears, or anything at all stop you. You are more than what you have shown in high school. You have the ability to do more than you have even imagined for yourself. Don’t ever doubt the possibility of reaching your goals, and always remain cognizant of your vision for your life. We may continue to make mistakes, and continue to have regrets, but we are always striving for perfection, and Class of 2010, we will get there. (Nia Holston Class valedictorian High School Speech , June 22, 2010)

Categories: Word from the Pastor