Ask Wynter: Finding My Purpose

Hello Wynter, I saw you this morning on Debra Duncan's show...and by the way, Congrats on engagement! My question to you is, how do you find your true calling in life? I have been on the same job for 20 years and I am not happy at all. Financially I am no better off than 10 years ago. I have strong feeling that I am suppose to be doing something else, I've prayed and prayed and prayed and I get no answers.

 My family and friends say that I am a people person and that whatever I do; I should be in customer service. I manage a rental car company in Houston and so I'm dealing with customers all the time and although I do have a relationship with most of them, it's not something I'm just dying to keep doing!! How do I get direction in life, I feel so lost and about ready to give up on trying to do more. Again, I do pray and my prayers are not being answered.

Sheba, Houston, TX

Dear Sheba,

You are not alone; I too have struggled with understanding my purpose in the past. In fact, I believe that nearly every Christian at some point will question exactly what they were put on earth to do; especially when we understand that everything that God creates has purpose.

Don’t give up! Believe it or not you’re at a great place. The uneasiness in your spirit about your current situation is indicative that there is something greater for you.

Your purpose is tied to your passion. My advice to you is to continue to pray; in addition you might want to begin to start journaling a couple of times a week. Begin to search your heart about the things that burden your heart. What problem in the world would you love to solve? What groups of people are you most concerned about (i.e. seniors, children, women)? What do you love to do? What are your talents, skills, etc? In addition to your prayers, begin to ask yourself those questions and write your answers down. Use this as an opportunity to make some observations about yourself. Do this for a couple of weeks and revisit it. The answer usually lies somewhere in the information that you will be collecting about yourself.

We know that true faith requires some action (James 2:20); therefore do not take this task lightly. I believe God will begin to reveal to you exactly what you have been ordained to do. I commit to praying with you that your revelation comes sooner than later. Once you receive your revelation begin to pray for opportunities to put your purpose in action. Believe me, opportunities will come. 

May God bless you on your journey and please keep me informed on your progress.

Sincerely,

Wynter  L. Patterson

Feel free to share your thoughts.

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Wynter Patterson: Wynter's Responses: "Hi Wynter...I am a servant of God, I've been in Ministry for a number of years, the last 2 1/2 have been extremely hard. In the last 2 1/2 y..."

I Don't Want to Write a Blog!!

Not long ago as I began to discover my purpose and understand my mission in life, I began to seek the advice of a mentor with a similar passion. Essentially we both embrace a desire to help God's people reach their fullest potential. She had already written 2 books, created a website and was continually coaching others to success, so I deemed her to be a pretty credible resource.

One morning we met for breakfast and I explained some of the things that God had placed on my heart. Her immediate response was, "you should start a blog." One problem: what is a blog??  Now before you shake your head at me, let me explain. Although I had read plenty of blogs, I had no idea how to write one, no desire to write one, and hardly a real understanding of what it was to be a blogger. Tweeting was easy, but blogging?!

My initial response was, "I don't want to write a blog." Instead of asking the questions I needed to ask, or doing the research, my first reaction was fear of the unknown.  She explained that blogging was a great tool to touch exponentially more people than you could ever reach by writing a book or a speaking engagement. Even after the explanation I was still fearful and asked for alternative suggestions.

In reviewing my reaction, and my reluctantly to start a blog (I received the suggestion nearly a year ago); I realized I was operating in fear. I didn't want to try something new because of my ignorance on the topic and my fear of rejection. After much prayer, I decided to follow my mentor's advice. After all, it's just a blog right? Lol.

Seriously, I had to let fear go in order to experience something new. Who knows who I will be blessed to connect with, how much I'll learn, or who will be blessed simply because I put fear aside.

I believe that many times we turn down opportunities because of fear. We don't dare to try new things because of fear. How many times have you almost ordered that exotic dish at a restaurant only to change your mind for fear of disappointment? If we're honest, it happens to the best of us on many different levels.  I'm so glad that I was able to overcome my fear and share my thoughts with you. The bible says that God has not given us a spirit of fear or timidity, but of power! (2 Tim 1:7) 

I challenge you to evaluate your areas of fear. What fear is holding you back from pursuing your dreams? What ideas are prohibiting you from trying something new? As people of the Most High God we must recognize fear and put it aside because fear does not come from God. God has empowered us all to succeed, however at times it will require entering into unknown territory and taking calculated risks. I am committed to abolishing fear in my life.

What are your thoughts?