Process or Purpose?

Do we sometimes confuse process and purpose? Do we say “I am going through this stage of my life to become a better counselor, a better father, a better whatever. God’s purpose for my life is that I become a better husband, a better messenger, a better missionary for Him.”? No. God’s purpose for my life is that I become more like Jesus, and that is a process.

What’s the difference? We say I am going through this (a process) so I can become a better ________ (a purpose); instead, the process of our life is God’s purpose for our life. God has not called us to be a better counselor, husband, or father (end goals, or purposes). God has called us to be (a process).

Why is this important? If we merely endure what we are going through, thinking the goal is to become a better whatever, we may miss the real purpose God has for us; that is the process itself that we go through. The people we interact with, the place we live and work are all part of this process, and that is God’s purpose for our life.

If we become better whatevers, we may think that’s all God had in store for us and start to rest, and that can be dangerous!