“Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails” – Proverbs 19:21

How many times have you heard the millennials say, “follow your passion”? It is heard more often than “find your purpose”. It is believed that if you are not doing something extraordinary with your life or if you are not doing what you are passionate about everyday then you are not successful or living out your fullest potential.

I got asked the question once whether purpose is the same as one’s passion. Some have argued that passion is about your emotions,where purpose is the reason behind your emotions. Others believe passion is about yourself and purpose is about others. I found that my opinion leaned more towards the latter, but I also believe that the two can sometimes co-exist.

Two years ago, I was convinced that I needed to go into pageantry in order to fulfil my purpose. I always believed my purpose was to create a platform for myself in order to be able to speak to women about the issues we face in society and how to overcome them. So,this was it! I was going to become Miss South Africa one day and then “change the world”.

Everything I did from then onwards was a way of working towards my “end goal” and “life’s purpose”. I worked hard as a dietitian, I dieted and exercised, I became aware of my country’s statistics and struggles, I was diligent with bible study, I networked and socialised and I learnt all I could about makeup and fashion and I did all this to become the perfect suiter for that crown.

On my journey to trying to become the next Miss SA, I decided to enter for the world’s third largest beauty pageant first- Miss International South Africa. For many reasons I was convinced that I was going to bring home this crown (can’t disclose any further) and when I didn’t, I was crushed, and this is why.

I got new perspective on my situation. It started to sink in that maybe I heard God wrong or maybe I misinterpreted what God put on my heart as being my purpose when it was more a passion. You see, when you make one goal your purpose in life then not achieving it means you are never fulfilling God’s plan for your life and if you do achieve it then where to next?

I was doing everything in my life for what I thought was my purpose that when I decided to no longer take part in pageantry, I felt lost and as if I had failed my quest to fulfilling God’s plan for my life. I could no longer find a good enough reason to continue doing all those things I was doing before. In tears I called my Mom who spoke some sense into me, and this is how we concluded our conversation.

Your passion may be a way in which to serve God’s kingdom,but this may not necessarily always be the case. In all things we do, we should do it in order to glorify God’s name but sometimes pursuing your purpose may require making use of your talents more than the desires of your heart.

Each day, life is filled with purpose and multiple opportunitiesin order to live it out. If purpose is about other people, then making sure that you serve people in your daily life is fulfilling your purpose.

It is okay that you may not always love what you do every day (yes, you shouldn’t be unhappy in what you are doing) but realistically there will be days that you feel like you aren’t excited about it.

But…

Find joy in knowing that you are embracing the talents God gave you. Find joy knowing that each day you are choosing to impact other’s lives in a positive way whether it be helping people with their finances, healing the sick, teaching children etc. When you invest in other lives you are investing in God’s kingdom and that is what brings Him the most joy.

So, let me make this practical: Purpose is not a goal, an achievement or even a final destination. Purpose is a journey. And just like all journeys, there are multiple ways of traveling and different routes that can be taken. Sometimes you will need to change your mode of transport or take a different path but as long as you find joy along the way and stop for others to climb aboard with you, then you are well on your way to fulfilling your purpose.