When We Lose Our Purpose, or Our Purse

 Odd things can take place when you decide to clean out a closet. People have their own method of getting it done. For some strange reason, my oldest son's method involved sitting in the middle of his floor, surrounded by piles of debris, reading books. My daughter's was rearranging what was in her closet in a different way, hoping I was fooled into thinking she 'cleaned it out'. The youngest one I think just threw everything under the bed and hoped I didn't look. Well, at least the closet was clean, right?

I decided to clean closets recently and happened upon a couple of Bible studies I wrote years ago. Wrote and taught, actually. I took a page from my son's book, (no, I didn't throw them under the bed, the other son) and sat down and read through them. I have grown leaps and bounds as a writer since then, but I actually found myself nodding once or twice at a nugget or two. I still like the title and content. I shared it with a friend and she also thought it was worth hanging on to. 

I wrote it during the time that the book 'Purpose Driven Life' was a very popular read. I also was just adjusting to the empty nest and adapting to a new phase of life. I titled my study "How Can I Find My Purpose When I Can't Even Find My Purse?" The introductory concept being that a woman's purse is her most important possession. In it we put everything we need for the day, and then some. Depending on what phase of life we are in, we more often than not are carrying important things belonging to others. 

When we met that first Wednesday night, I asked some of the ladies what was in their purses. It was very revealing. Cosmetics, prescriptions, credit cards, cash, photos, checkbooks were standard. There were a lot of unusual items as well. Shopping lists, paperback books, puzzles, etc. I had three different purses up front and we identified the age of the owner by what was inside. Our purses contain our identity. Even what they look like on the outside can be a giveaway. 

The study then delved deeper into the contents of our 'purse'. What makes us up. Our purpose. Why we were created, what we are here for, what is the purpose of our individual lives. 

But I had a real-life experience years later with an identity crisis when I had my purse stolen. (Did you have a reaction to those words? Most women do.) Someone literally walked off with my entire purse and I never got it back. My wallet with my driver's license, all my credit cards as well. (And this was especially painful because I was out of state and had a terribly inconvenient time getting back on the plane to fly home.) A personal and business checkbook. My i-Pad was inside. And I really, really liked that purse.

It took time and some headaches to get things straightened out, but we got new credit cards and I got a new license. And shockingly the picture was even worse. All the physical possessions were replaced and life continued on. But I changed how I treat my purse. I never take my eyes off it. I am cautious where I put it. I realize how important it is.

When I happened upon this study where I compared my purpose to my purse, it brought back this purse theft to me. It gave me a different insight to how a person feels when they lose their purpose in life. The feeling of helplessness, or not being in control. In my case I hold things differently.

Is that what happens when we change stages in life? When something momentous happens and we no longer feel relevant? Age does that to a person. As does societal and cultural changes that can make a person feel obsolete. When a person feels they are without purpose, I have to believe that the feeling is monumentally bigger than the sensation I felt when I walked into the room where my purse should have been to see it gone. 

A few phone calls, a visit to the DMV and bank, and we set things right. But a person who has lost their purpose can't be fixed that easily. It takes reconnecting to the One who created and designed us. The One who called us to a purpose higher than the one that we see on a daily basis. To fulfil any and all other purposes in our life, we must first be filling our number one purpose. To love God with all of our hearts, with all of our minds and all of our strength.

As is so often asked, (in a manner of speaking) What's in your purse?

Stay connected and follow along...I plan to delve into the different lessons within this study. Follow and share.