Purpose?

-

One morning I was on my 8:00am weekly transformational leadership growth group conference call. Where some of us who are leaders in the local Catholic Church were sharing on what was our mission and purpose in our life.  When it was his turn to share the youngest member of our group who was in his early 30’s then proceeded to tell us that he did not subscribe to having a mission and purpose for his life.   Well, to say the least I could not believe what I was hearing.  Why would this thirty something year old not think that there was a purpose for his life? 

It made me think of myself and my journey to discovering my purpose.  I did not always know what it was until I realized that you and I are here on this earth now for a reason.  It is not by chance or coincidence, it is to fulfill our purpose.  We are not called to merely exist, but to thrive.  Figuring out and living our purpose in life makes us thrive and not merely survive.  

If I do not know my purpose and do it, then who will?  I was born to live and achieve my purpose. 

I never wanted to become a religious sister (aka nun), I had other plans for my life.  However, after running and hiding from God for years I decided to give this sister thing a chance.  That was the best decision of my life, because here I am eighteen years later, despite the many challenges that have come my way, I am still happy, fulfilled and filled with joy that I am living out my purpose in various ways.  My purpose has evolved in many ways and have taken me on different paths on the journey, many mountain tops and valley experiences.   I am at this point of my journey ministering with persons whose marriages have failed.

I know that everyone’s life has a purpose, and we spend time here on earth trying to figure out what our purpose is and then living into it.  Purpose can be one thing or several things.  When we know our purpose, we are awakened, and we begin to live the life we were created for.

Do you believe that your life has a purpose?

Sr. Lystra R. Long, OP

St. Joseph.  Trinidad & Tobago

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Nuns can have nose rings? (and other frequently asked questions)

-
Image
One of my favorite things about being a young sister-in-formation is allowing people to ask me their burning (and sometimes silly) questions about religious life.   Questions like: Do nuns have jobs?   Can you still go dancing and swimming?   You mean you get to keep that nose ring? Becoming a sister right now is an interesting thing: religious life has changed drastically in the past fifty years, but many people’s stereotypes about it haven’t.   Many of these stereotypes seem superficial (ie- all nuns wear habits; nuns don’t dance) but they may reflect deeper misconceptions about religious life… like the idea that sisters are somehow more holy or less human than “normal” people.   For a long time, my own misconceptions kept me from really considering religious life. And so I enjoy the questions.   I love making people feel free to ask them, and I love surprising them with the answers.   After all, they aren’t really asking about my nose ring;...
Read more

Happiness and Joy in Religious Life?

-
Image
I never wanted to be a religious sister (nun) because I felt I would never be happy.     This calls me to reflect on what is happiness.     Some say that happiness is a feeling.     It is when you feel good and cheerful about something that happened or is happening in your life.     However, I think that true happiness comes from when you make others happy.     After I went out of my way to assist someone and they unexpectedly tell me how much my helping meant to them.     I experience an unexpected warm feeling inside.     True happiness I think is a sense of fulfilment you feel even if what you did was not acknowledged, yet you know that deep down inside you did and gave of your best to help someone without any conscious ulterior motive.     You did it because it was the right and necessary thing to do at the time. Everyone searches for happiness and many know that true happiness cannot be found in things,...
Read more

HOME

-
Image
  I am fortunate to have an iPhone and I use the maps feature regularly when I travel to different places. What I like best is that on my return journey all I need to do is hit the HOME button and  no matter where I am it routes me safely home. I’ve been thinking about the significance of HOME lately especially as I and so many of our sisters have recently moved and settled into new spaces.  Can you find yourself at home in the gift of this day? Do you find yourself at home in your heart? I have returned to live at Sinsinawa mound and feel deeply at home. It is the space from which our sisters are sent out on mission and to which they return for their final resting place. I think of all who have been forced or bombed out of their homes. All the millions of displaced people searching for a place to call home, all the unhomed peopled on our own city streets especially veterans and those with mental health problems who have no place to call home. How am I called to respond o...
Read more