Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Purpose Angst?!

Hi there!

I'm looking for metaphors and similes about what your search for purpose has felt like.

I'm writing a new book that talks about people's "Purpose Angst." Some have a mild case and some, like me, have had a severe case. Pastor Rick Warren (at the purpose driven Saddleback Church) once said that I needed a daily purpose transfusion to keep me alive.. so yes, I had an extreme case.

Whatever comparison you can think of would be awesome! [And, feel free to provide some additional background information, if you want.]

Example: I felt like my heart was tied up in a big knot.
Example: It felt as if I were a little kid in a candy store who was not allowed to buy any candy.

Can't wait to hear from you,
Katieb


18 comments:

Penny said...

My search for purpose
** Felt as if I was so thirsty, but could only get sips of water instead of the gulp that I needed.

** Felt like I was wearing glasses smeared with oil. I could make out the shapes, but couldn't see them clearly.

Linda said...

My search for purpose
++feels like an empty ache and yearning for something deep in my gut. Nothing satisfies the pain.

Maria Teresa Tomas said...

My search for purpose "felt like a walk in the desert - a walk that was marked by a feeling of
sometimes being frightfully lost with no direction - yet with a knowing that I couldn't quite explain - that just beyond the desert there was an expanse of lush green earth sprinkled with bright flowers and flowing springs
of refreshing cool water that
waited for me when the desert walk was done."

GmaMcQuilter said...

Though I've always sensed my purpose, it has always seemed to shimmer like a mirage in the distance. It wasn't until I entered seminary last year and completed a life-mapping course that I clearly saw God's hand at every crossroad. It was then that I truly and unashamedly fell in love with Him. It freed me to appreciate the ups and downs--that none were wasted--that every tear counted.

Philippians 4:13 said...

My seach for purpose "felt like being deprived of breaths of hope." I needed the breaths of air, and hope for tomorrow just to sustain life for the next second, and hope to make it to the next day and I wasn't getting enough of either.

Sharrie said...

My search for purpose has been like looking through a kaleidoscope and not being able to figure out what the beautiful pattern design represents. Each facet represents an area of my life --but the overall picture is not clear. I need to learn to quietly reflect in prayer, listen to God's voice, and pray for the confidence to follow through on God's direction.

Heather said...

My search for purpose was like a beautiful puzzle. As
it's put together you find colors you don't like, pieces that don't seem to fit, others that go right together in their perfect place. Pieces that seem to be missing. Sometimes you have to walk away for while to get a new perspective. It might get knocked off the workspace and, well, you start again. When it's finished, not only is the picture beautiful, the journey was as well.

Plrobinson said...

I can best explain through a re-cocurring dream. In my dream I am in a familiar house. One day I notice a door I have not seen before. I open the door to find a beautiful, spaacious room. The door was there all along. The room was there all along. My feeling is always that there is something more....

W said...

My search for purpose felt like I was in a room with no windows. I could hear sounds from the other side of the walls that would give me clues as to what was over there, but it was challenging trying to get a full picture of it.

Unknown said...

My search for purpose

I felt lost, lonely and was freezing cold in the stormy rain with my clothes that were all torn. It was pitch dark in the middle of the ocean. I was only hanging on to the piece of broken panel of a wrecked ship. I started following the glimpse of the light I can barely see from far away, the light was guiding me to the Saddleback Church and led me to take a baby step to the counseling class with a desire to help women who are hurt, lost and need guidance to be able to see and take a step toward to the light.

Finally, I am able to walk with peace joyfully toward the light and desire to be the light of the world.

Katherine West said...

During my search I felt like a balloon filling up and filling up until it burst and my life purpose was released.

Beth Scholes said...

I just finished Pathway to Purpose for Women. The whole book resonated with my personal journey to purpose. Particularly the "Do what matters today" chapter. I find as women we get caught up in tomorrow and what God may have for our future. We get so focused on that we miss today. For so many of us today's priority is raising a future generation that will make a difference in their generation by being leaders and God honoring people with clarified values. Our kids don't come by this naturally this is learned through the hard work of parents. I believe that God will honor our journey of Purpose for the future when we tend to what He has asked of us today. This past year I have learned much about living in today, yesterday is done, learn from its lessons, tomorrow is an idea, today is where God is with us. So make the most of today and it's agenda on your pathway to purpose.

Victoria said...

I will never forget my visit to Alcatraz prison and the haunting description by a former inmate of his life behind the walls. He said the worst torture was how close, but unattainable, was life in San Francisco. Sometimes, you could even hear parties and laughter carried on the late-night breezes across the bay. My search for purpose has often felt the same--so close but just out of reach...

Melissa said...

My purpose search was a bit like the mentioned puzzle image. Mine was like a lot of pieces dumped out on the floor. There were pieces I would have wanted to put back in the box or to have discarded all together. These were the pieces that were dark, dull or unappealling by themselves. What is cool is that as the peices are coming together (praises to God), it is these unattractive pieces that make up the depth or character of the picture- they add dimension and texture. Also- there would be holes/gaps in the picture if these parts/pieces were not used leaving the picture incomplete.

Nancy Sprowls said...

My search for purpose has sometimes felt like searhing for THE rose garden, and not seeing and enjoying the single roses strewn along the path.

* Feels like a tapestry being woven from a heavenly perspective.

lami said...

It felt like a hunting thirty dog looking for water in a dry hot day.

Demetria Murdock said...

My search for purpose has been like a "Connect The Dot" puzzle. Each dot represents a circumstance or relationship in my life that has helped me determine His purpose for my life. I am beginning to see the path and purpose God has for me.

Anonymous said...

It felt like a roller coaster ride. One minute I was on top of the world thinking "that was it" and the next minute I was upside down thinking "what was I thinking?"