Handling the Evolution of Purpose
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I wrote a couple days ago on The Evolution of Purpose. It was a simple post establishing the reality of our purpose’s openness to change. I think it went over well. No OldTruth.com guys showed up looking for a fight, so I guess that means it wasn’t too controversial.
However, I left it hanging for a reason. I wanted to dedicate a full post to explaining how you can handle a change in purpose.
3 principles to help you handle purpose-change:
- Prepare for change. Although change is usually unexpected, you can prepare for it by not being too attached to your current circumstances. Don’t dig roots where you are in a way that causes pain to uproot. Dig your roots in God’s plan, then when He moves, you’ll be able to move with Him.
- Know that God’s plans for change always take you to a better place. No matter where God takes you, it’s always going to be better than where you were. This is a tough concept to understand, especially in the midst of change when it seems like your life was “just fine the way it was.” Well, God may have had a different idea about how “fine” your life was.
- Watch for the benefits of the coming/current change. If you’re stuck looking back, remembering “the good ol’ days,” then you’ll likely miss the incredible things God is moving you toward. Think of it like a road trip your parents forced you to take in the middle of summer. While you’re sitting in the back seat, looking out the rear window, thinking of all your friends being left behind, your parents are enjoying new things through the front windshield. There’s nothing to be gained by wishing the old days were back again. Embrace the new as it comes along.
I know this post sounds like Dr. Phil wrote it, but it’s helped me deal with changing purposes. I also know that it’s painfully incomplete. What are your thoughts?
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One of the wonderful things about change from a writing/blogging perspective is that you don’t have to abandon or diss your previous direction in writing. The more I pursue the fundamental direction of lifevesting.com (and yes, it is evolving), the more I recognize other possible ideas for blogging or ministry that have nothing to do with the current site. Things like:
“Everybody Leads” on leadership.
“A Few New Things to Worry About” - a fun look at reasons to panic (or not)
“How to Win, Be Thin, and Feel Good When You Sin… and Other Dumb Ideas” - ‘nuf said.
Andy Wood’s last blog post..How’s THIS for a Tip?