Phil. 3:7-11 (esp. 10)
1 John 4:7-21 (esp. 19)
Jer. 9:23-24

The significance (and ultimately the quality) of the work we do is determined by our understanding the story in which we are taking part.
    --Wendell Berry

My sophomore year of college I enrolled in linear algebra, an ominous but necessary class to fulfill my intended math major.

Two years later, I graduated with a degree in Spanish and Economics and credit linear algebra for that change in academic direction. Regardless, I remember the class. I remember the three-hour exams that consisted of only two problems. I remember endless computations utilizing theorems, equations and rules. I remember the indescribable sense of victory that I extracted from completing just one of these questions. I remember looking at a graded test with utter disappointment when three pages of correctly executed equations led to an incorrect solution because of an erroneous initial value.

Purpose is where we begin. It serves as the basis, the foundation and the origin from which we build our lives. It imparts significance to our actions and gives meaning to our lives.

I think about the Tower of Pisa, an edifice infamous not for its architectural intricacies but for its foundational error. We comment not on the impressive columns and artistic arches but instead gawk at its undeniable “lean.” The builders surely spent endless hours envisioning the structure itself, sketching, drawing, and producing plans for something stately and admirable. Yet in their visualization of the completed whole, they overlooked initial necessities. The ground was not solid and the foundation not level. From these skewed beginnings, arose a building that albeit beautiful, became known for its flaws. It is not what it should have been.

Knowing true purpose serves as the solid base from which to pursue life. Accomplishing great things without the knowledge of “why” renders them meaningless and skewed.

What is our purpose?

Jesus offers this succinct, but shrouded summary: to love the Lord with all your heart, soul, strength and mind. But what does this mean? And how do we pursue it and build our lives upon this knowledge? How can we add one plus one if we cannot fully comprehend the “one”?

Perhaps Jesus intended for us to live in this mystery? Perhaps everything in life aims to lead us back to the question of “why?” And “how?” Perhaps knowing the foundation is the building itself.

Our understanding of purpose reveals itself in broader scope as we live life and love the Lord. If we derive our purpose from the Lord and devote ourselves to living in and for his love, the “how” of purpose reveals itself.
       
What is the basis of my knowledge of purpose?
How do I react to the unknown in my life?
What is my purpose?