We all have a purpose in life. Although most of us may not know what that purpose is. That is a time when we need to pray and ask God for guidance.

Matthew 16:24-26 Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. 25 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. 26 For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? NKJV

So what is meant by taking up your cross? We all have our cross to bear. It may be an affliction or ailment. But not always that. We often have our own emotional baggage that we bring into a relationship. We all have something about ourselves that we either keep hidden or we may share with others who either understand or feel like we are an alien from outer space. Or maybe it is we that feel we are aliens from outer space and that others do not understand.

Whatever the case me be we are given choices. Some of our choices we may understand, but others elude us like the pot of gold that is supposedly at the other end of the rainbow. And why is it that the pot of gold is always at the other end of the rainbow, why can't it be on the end closest to us?

Then life would not be the challenge it is for us. But why does life need to be a challenge? Why does it have to be so difficult at times? Are we to live in a world full of strife because we need to be or is there a calling to make it better?

We live in a world where there are always things that are expected of us. Events that need to take place in order for us to go on with life no matter what direction that we take.

In other words there is always a purpose for us no matter how much we stifle our imaginations with the rigors of trying to satisfy the goals that we set for ourselves in our day-timers.

God has a plan for our lives. It may not be apparent until we first seek God through prayer and through daily Bible readings.

But often I hear people say they do not have the time to find out their purpose in life. They are way too busy and no matter how easy technology makes things there is ever less and less time to do things that may not seem important at first. We can get ourselves so caught up in the technology of the times that we forget the simpler things. These are the things that we see every day, such as the flowers that bloom and the trees whose fallen leaves make way for new blooms that grace the presence of a tree like a newly uncocooned butterfly waiting to venture out into the world to see what it can see and learn.

But are we victims to this ever-changing technology or have we made ourselves slaves to it? We can take what God has given us and try to bloom. We can say no to the TV or the computer (except for the reading of sermons) and try to see nature for what God had intended. We can take the time for the beauty and less of the strife. We can see the beauty of Gods creation for what it is rather than taking it for granted.

Perhaps the reason we often dismiss nature and take it for granted is because we are afraid that if we pay too much attention to it we will be frozen in time rather than keeping up with the Joneses or transversing the corporate ladder as if it had all the meaning that we need.

Matt 4:3-4 But He answered and said, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.' " NKJV

Is the bread, technology? Let's just imagine for now that it is. We can not live or be slave to technology because it is not the end all. God needs to be followed. He needs to have us follow Him so that we can find the purpose in our lives. Otherwise we will be like a cocoon that never opens to reveal a butterfly.

Let God be a part of your life. He will give you the purpose you need and all you have to do is pray and ask Him for it.

Prayer: Dear Lord, help me to understand the path I should go. Give me the purpose and the understanding to know what that purpose is. Help me Lord in this coming week to seek you often. I thank you for all your many blessings. Amen.

Benediction: Now, Lord, Bless us in our daily lives. Help us to smell the roses whenever possible, to shine our light on those less fortunate than us, and lead us in the path we should go. For you are the light that keeps our path well lit. Help us to follow it, until we meet you, in a land where milk and honey abound, a place where our most wonderful dreams are fulfilled. Amen.

Hi, my name is Bryan, a messenger of hope who would love to hear from you. God Bless.

© 2005 Bryan Hill