WHAT I AM ABOUT TO SHARE with you has the potential to shift your mindset and, as a result, transform your life. Unfortunately, even though your mind might be stimulated, it is your heart that I want to penetrate today.
Logic and reason are powerful tools that influence action, but emotion trumps them both. Fear, anger, joy, shame and sadness are very strong emotions, but love in my opinion is greater than all of them.
I believe the two greatest desires of a human are to love and to be loved and though we may love and be loved by others, does the way we live our lives reflect that we truly love ourselves?
Let me share a story with you.
“I had just returned from an overseas trip during which I had bought my wife a beautiful necklace of semi-precious stones studded on a gold chain, each gem surrounded by zircons. The colours shone so beautifully that everyone who saw it said they wished they were the ones receiving it.
“I could hardly wait to present it to my wife. So at just the right moment, when the children were watching, I gave it to her. She loved it and asked me to tell her about the stones that adorned the necklace. That night we got to bed quite late.
“I arose early the next day and went to the kitchen to make a pot of coffee. As I walked into the kitchen, I heard some crunching sounds. I looked in the direction of the commotion and there, in the mouth of the puppy belonging to my daughter, was that beautiful necklace. Already it had been chewed into oblivion.
“I must be honest; I just stood there, my eyes filled with tears. What could I do? This little representative of the canine world had absolutely no idea what she was destroying. Evidently, she had stood on her hind legs and knocked the necklace down from the desk where my wife had left it.
“The puppy had taken a beautiful, elegantly designed piece of jewellery and treated it like a bone to chew on. It was not just that the dog destroyed something beautiful; worse, she had no understanding of the purpose of a magnificent piece of jewellery. I called my wife and showed her the remains.
“As she examined it, she thought it could be taken to a jeweller and repaired. (I have to admit that I wondered if there was a place to take the puppy as well.
But for the sake of my daughter, I shall not head in that direction. Besides, the thought itself was unkind.)”
Your purpose should focus your passions and your passions determine your priorities. However, where purpose is unknown, abuse is inevitable. In the story above, the dog had no knowledge or understanding of the purpose of the necklace or its value, so it abused it.
If I were to ask you if you knew what your purpose on the earth was, what would you say? If you already know, I celebrate with you. However, if you have no idea, I am very concerned.
Too many wait until they have hit rock bottom, are faced with a crisis or have wasted and destroyed their lives then to ask: why am I here? If you know not why you are here, how do you know where you are going and how do you know when you get there?
A life lived out of purpose is a life that has direction, is focused, puts experiences into perspective and gives fulfilment. To truly love oneself is to know and appreciate that you have value, was created with and for a purpose, and act based on that knowledge.
Every object created was made with a purpose and since you are more valuable than an object, it means you too have a specific purpose.
You are an important part of creation and the longer you take to find your purpose, the longer you rob the world and its people of your magnificence and unique contribution.
To know the purpose of an object, you consult its creator. To know your purpose and role, consult The Creator.
(The story above was taken from the book The Grand Weaver by Ravi Zacharias)
• Corey Worrell is a former Commonwealth Youth Ambassador. Email coreyworrell@gmail.com