What The Last Blog Post Was Supposed To Be

My mind was still ruminating on the idea of "supposed to" this morning after I posted my blog post last night. I talked in my last post about what happens when we don't live up to the "supposed to," but I think I need to back up a step. More specifically, to expand on where - or from whom - we get the idea of what we're supposed to do.

Growing up, it may have been your parents. You're supposed to clean your room, eat your veggies, not scream when your brother dangles you over the second story banister (oh, was that last one just me?) As you get older, your friends or professors may be influencing what you're supposed to do. Be an athlete, a choir member, an honor roll student, a class clown, a doctor, an artist, whatever it is.

Eventually you may set that all aside and decide for yourself what you truly want to do and impose your own list of what you're supposed to do. Marry, own your own home, have 2 kids, a dog, retire early and see the world. That sounds all well and good and just may be the path you were meant to lead, but if you are only relying on yourself and your own judgement, you could be missing the mark.

I have had this theory for decades. I believe that God has a purpose for everyone. It's a purpose that only you can uniquely fulfill. Yes, many others may have similar purposes, but since we all have our own personality, it's going to play out differently for everyone. It's like writing. There are basic stories that keep getting retold, but they are different depending on the author. A romantic comedy is going to have two people meet, spend the film chasing each other, then come together in the end. But how they get there - ah! that's why we go to movies, isn't it? For every story is unique, as are each of us.

So, back to my theory. To illustrate my point, I made this image. Forgive my horrible Photoshop skills (sadly, they are only marginally better than my drawing skills).

My thought is that the green line represents God's call for your life. Follow along that line and you will fulfill the purpose God has for you (see Jesus waiting to give you a big hug at the end?!). You - and those whose lives you touch - will be sanctified by you living your life along this line.

Unfortunately, it's not always easy to know if you're on the green line. So, you may make choices - or others may make choices that impact you - and you veer off into the yellow zone. Sometimes you are not far off and may even find your way back to the green line when you feel a calling that draws you back to where you were. Other times you may stay on this new trajectory for your whole life. Don't dismay; all is well if you stay within a certain distance of God's calling along the green line.

But what, then, when you veer very far off course into the red zone? In this area you have made choices that lead you away from God's purpose. Not only are you unsatisfied, but others will have a vacancy in their life. This is not where you want to spend your life.

Think of "It's a Wonderful Life" and how many people George Bailey influenced. When George was about to take his own life, he was most assuredly feeling like he was in the red zone. Things were not going as he thought they should. But ironically, the opposite was true. As the film unfolded, we see that he was in the yellow and found his way to the green. He just had to appreciate what he was  supposed to be doing, because God's ways are not our own. George had his own agenda but once he lined up with and understood God's plan, he was happy. And Clarence got his wings.

Yes, it can be difficult to know if you're fulfilling God's call. Don't we wish that God would just give us a road map (even one as poorly drawn as my illustration) so we'd know where we're going? After all, God is the one who designed us with this purpose. Of course he's going to guide you along the way! It just takes time in prayer and discernment to hear it. We live in a loud and chaotic world and God isn't one to push his way onto anyone. (Free will and all, amiright?)

So, think about what you've claimed as what you're supposed to do in life. Whose "supposed to" is it - yours or God's?