I’m reading this book called “A Life of Lovely” by Annie F. Downs and so far it’s been incredible, but it’s 11:19 p.m. on a Friday night and I just stopped cold in my tracks when I read this one line: “God Made You on Purpose.”
And when I say I stopped dead in my tracks… I mean I put down the book, didn’t read any further, and had quarter-sized teardrops well up in my eyes.
Why? I’d love to say I didn’t know and that I just thought it was a beautiful line but it’s not that at all.
It’s that so far in the first 46 pages of this book the author has talked about her struggle growing up with overeating and how that has ruled her life. I can’t relate to that in the way that she can but I relate to the fact of being a slave to sin for so long.
I grew up wanting and fighting to be the best at everything and it never satisfying. That carried over into college for a little while until I was finally tackled to the ground by Jesus as He got in my face about my constant fight to win and to compare and to not be good enough for myself.
And then he grabbed my hand and picked me back up, dusted off my shoulders, and we began to run this race together. He took off my shoulder pads and helmet and showed me I could rely on Him to protect me. I didn’t have to do it all alone, and I certainly couldn’t all by myself.
But back to the God Made You on Purpose thing.
So I read that headline in the book. And I have heard it said a million times how much purpose each individual person has in the world. That God has such a purpose for each one of us.
And I’ve never had a reason to believe that wasn’t true, but I think this was the first time I had the thought “God MADE me on purpose” rather than “God has a purpose for your life.” Both are true but vastly different.
Follow me here: I’ve known that God would do something great with my life if I allowed Him to be in control, but I’ve never quite thought about how God crafted me and made me in mind with a purpose that would be lived out each and every second of all the days to come from the very beginning.
God made me on purpose. God made you on purpose. You were no accident. You are no burden to the world. You are loved, cherished, adored even if you don’t feel like it in this season.
There was a time in high school where I just straight up struggled. I have always had kind of a hard time dealing with anxiety whether that’s with friendships, fear of the future, school, etc. I remember there being a couple days staying home from school because I was so overwhelmed with anxiety.
I had days where I felt so lonely, anxious, misunderstood, and I didn’t believe that God really needed me for anything. I didn’t enjoy the gift of life He had given me.
But He saw me through it. And through all of those moments and hard days I’ve realized that if I had brought Him in on those moments and surrendered all of it to Him, I would’ve seen my situation and myself in a better, brighter light.
I didn’t see or know the freedom in Jesus that I know now until I got to college, and probably until this very moment it hadn’t struck me that from the very beginning that God made me with a purpose, and He is not embarrassed of me even when I completely spin out of control and turn away from Him.
He does not turn away from me when I wallow in my brokenness and push away His love.
He doesn’t stop seeing me as His daughter. He has given me a life full of lovely and made it all for me and you and your family and your friends.
“You are the only you there is. God did that on purpose.” – Annie F. Downs
That line is a truth that I needed to hear for so long. Yes, you are different. Yes, you don’t look like everyone else. Yes, you aren’t perfect but neither is the person you are jealous or envious of.
God did that on purpose. Embrace what makes you different and allow God’s glory to shine through that. He did it for a reason.
And now with tears still creeping down my face, I’m going to sleep and scheduling this to be published in the morning in hopes that a more rested Mary Spencer will get up in time to proofread this once more over because after 10 p.m. my brain really shuts down and midnight is creeping up as I wrap this up. We’ll see if this makes sense in the morning because my fingers have been furiously typing.
Believe in your differences, surrender what hurts you to God, and most importantly talk to someone about what’s going on. I think in our culture we tend to bottle up what hurts in order to present a perfect front, and my friend we are only hurting ourselves by doing that. Believe me, I know.
Talk to those you love and trust and walk through the brokenness that has been holding you captive for so long. Be set free today. See and believe God made you on purpose and with purpose.
Happy Saturday friends!
xo, msv
For you were called to be free, brothers and sisters; only don’t use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but serve one another through love. For the whole law is fulfilled in one statement: Love your neighbor as yourself. – Galatians 5:13-14
Don’t let your beauty consist of outward things like elaborate hairstyles and wearing gold jewelry or fine clothes, but rather what is inside the heart – the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight. – 1 Peter 3: 3-4
Mary Spencer Veazey 