What is your purpose in life? Have you ever really thought about this in relation to the big picture? Because so much emphasis is placed on the development of intellectual and physical skills in our society, you may have defined your purpose, as most people have, according to how adept you are in these areas. After all, authority and expertise are often determined by the number and kinds of degrees a person has listed after his or her name. And from the standpoint of physical development, our professional athletes command some of the grandest salaries in America.

Do you think your purpose is to be an architect, a writer, a schoolteacher, a plumber, a computer programmer, a good mother, father, son or daughter? While all these are important roles you may play, areas of service to others in which you may make a marvelous contribution to our society or even the world at large, they are secondary to your true purpose in life. If you consider your purpose to be centered in any of these areas, the time will come when you will have no sense of purpose at all. You may retire, the kids grow up, parents pass on; any number of things can happen to remove the supposed object of your purpose, and with this removal comes the removal of a reason to live a creatively happy life.

Your purpose has to be based on a factor that will always be relevant, and the only thing you have that you will always have is your spirituality. You have intelligence and you are clothed with a body, but you are primarily a spiritual being. As a spiritual being you have a purpose, and when that purpose begins to dawn on you, you will carry it into your chosen fields of expression, whatever they may be, bringing a depth of meaning that will make your life worth living, whatever you are doing. …

How can we best define your purpose as a spiritual being? In simple terms we can state it thus: As a spiritual being, your purpose is to express the attributes of God in everything you do. …

To get in touch with your sense of purpose, you may find it helpful to speak the following words: As an expression of God, I now let God's infinite qualities shine through me in all I do. I am blessed with a sense of wholeness and harmony. Thank You, God.

If you'd like to read more about prayer, you might enjoy the book A Practical Guide to Meditation and Prayer by J. Douglas Bottorff. Visit the Unity online store for more details.


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