There is divine holy purpose in your life. It’s easy to look at someone on stage singing and see their purpose. It’s easy to see the missionary’s purpose. But what if you have no stage and you haven’t traveled to Africa yet? What if your days look more like wake up, cook something, clean something, go here and go there, cook more stuff, clean more stuff, then go to bed exhausted. Is there purpose in that?

God created you with a plan in mind. He knew you and your potential before you were born. He not only set you apart, but he set you up. He put within you exactly what you would need to live your best life. Then he created a journey that would bring out the best in you.

Now, he did not set you on an easy journey. Easy journeys leave us on auto pilot, checked out, just cruising. Hmmmm, cruising through life sounds kinda awesome right now doesn’t it? But it isn’t awesome FOR you. God knows that. He knows what you need is a challenge. A challenge to keep you engaged, focused and fully living.

2020, potentially the most challenging year we’ve ever faced, and perhaps exactly what we NEEDED. A challenge to get us back in the game and truly living. This is the year that will bring out the best in us and you better believe God is in every detail!

Today, you likely woke up to another day of doing more of what you did every day this week. You’re on a perpetual repeat of daily tasks and that can be less than thrilling. Our entire lives are filled with mundane tasks that we repeat over and over again, but don’t allow a daily routine to become a joy suck. Every day right among your routine, is something remarkably special. Something so special it would bring you to tears if you realized it.

What is it? Itty bitty “lasts”. The very last time something specific will ever happen. Yes, it’s the last time.

If you’re a mama of older children, think about this … there was a last diaper you changed. There was the last 2 am feeding. There was the last night they crawled in your bed. But you didn’t know it was the last. You knew it was the umpteeth time and you were exhausted. And so you missed the preciousness of it. Do you know what I would give for my little boy to sneak in my bed again to squirm his way between Daddy and I? Do you know what I would give to hear my daughters signing their sweet little songs and giggling when they were supposed to be asleep? There was a last time … and I missed it. I was likely trying to cruise through that time of my life. Less engaged and focused than I should have been. And now it’s gone.

What if there’s a LAST happening for you today? I bet there is and you don’t even know it. Will you be engaged enough to catch it? Will you be aware enough to enjoy it? You will never, ever get this day back. The life that is happening today is only available right now. You have PURPOSE in this day.

What is your purpose today?

Your purpose in this day of life, today, is to live it fully. All-in, with eyes wide open, fully engaged, lazer focused on right here, right now. In the grand scheme of things, nothing else really matters. Yesterday is gone, tomorrow may not even come, so we have today. This day. And God has given you this day to live.

Today holds once in a lifetime opportunities specifically designed to bring you immense joy. Divine opportunities to make an impact. We often miss these opportunities because they’re sandwiched between all things ordinary. Yes, today you woke up to an ordinary day, but it is filled with the extraordinary.

Jeremiah 1:5 God said “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart.”

God set you apart before you were even born. What does it mean to be set apart? It means he singled you out. He chose you. He said “this one – she’s the one – she’s something special.” He knew today, this day in your life would come with it’s long list of ordinary and mundane, and it’s ever so elusive “lasts” and his wish was that you would show up for it as only you can and live it well.

There’s something only you can do today. An impact only you can make. A job only you can fulfill. Love only you can give. Words only you can speak. You likely won’t know it today, but one day you will see this right here was the opportunity of a lifetime. This is all part of a divine plan and you are in the right place at the right time … I just hope you are on point with your purpose. I hope you are living well. I hope you are living fully.

This is what you were made for. Set apart to live as only you can live today. Nothing is by accident, everything is working together as part of a divine plan. Maybe today there will be a first … there will definitely be a last … and between them are a million little “agains”. Aren’t they each so precious and valuable? Don’t they each demand we show up with our best effort so we don’t miss the opportunities to live this one life we have been given?

May we see the design behind our ordinary.
May we capture the moments of wonder.
May the best of us be our offering.
May we savor the lasts to create sweet memories.
May we live our purpose in this day, to its fullest.
May we make the one who set us apart, glad he did.