God Has A Specific Purpose
Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan. [Ephesians 1:11].
QUOTE: I believe purpose is something for which one is responsible; it’s not just divinely assigned (Michael J. Fox).
Berthoud Pass was a special ski area that resides at 11,306 elevation and a place where I met many friends and ski buddies. It’s an icon of ski areas because there isn’t anything like it in Colorado (maybe anywhere)! 
It was considered backcountry skiing via lift service. When the ski area was open, once you made your epic run you didn’t take the lift back up, you would actually take a bus ride back up to the lift! Every day was a powder day with a unique group of hard-core skiers. Everyone would get on the bus full of snow, super-pumped and excited because every single run was amazing! This place had become my home and the people that skied there had become my little family.
These were before Jesus’ days, we were crazy, young, and had so much fun. I remember one day my ski sister and I were riding up the lift singing Christmas songs at the top of our lungs and laughing our heads off, just being incredibly annoying and obnoxious. This was a super warm day in March, so we had our jackets tied around our waists and we were skiing in our black satin teddies, which got the attention of many of our male ski buddies. Yes girlfriends, we were out of control!! For the most part there were only three or four other girls that skied this mountain, and we knew everyone, so nothing we did was a surprise, and they wouldn’t expect anything other than the two of us being crazy!!
Berthoud Pass was where I learned how to ski by following great skiers. I’ve never had a ski lesson but learned from being out there over three hundred days every year for almost twenty years. It was an obsession and an addiction that took over every aspect of my life. On full moon nights, after the ski area would close, we still had access to the lodge, the fireplace, and the bar, so we would make big potluck dinners, have drinks and we kept skiing all night long under the moonlight. We would skin up the hill and take turns driving each other back up the hill. At sunrise we would still be skiing, and we would then have a huge buffet breakfast gathering until the lifts opened back up. Then we continued skiing until the lifts closed that night! Life was all about skiing, sex, and skiing; was there anything else? At the time I didn’t think there was anything better because life was so awesome. Most of us worked night jobs to support our ski habits and that was all we did every single day!!! The essence of true ski bums. At one of our potluck dinners we jokingly said there should be a skier’s anonymous group; but that idea went nowhere, because none of us would be willing to participate!
I share this story because even though this was great fun and I wouldn’t have traded those memories for anything, however any type of addiction or obsession is trouble. It can ruin lives, cause people to lose jobs, friends, and alienate people that are important in your life. I never even thought any thing about it until after I came to know the Lord and I was skiing along in chest deep powder and suddenly I felt a little snap. I immediately sat down because I knew exactly what had happened, I had blown out my knee: ACL, PCL, MCL, LCL and the meniscus.
During that down time, I had time to think. The Lord quietly but clearly spoke to me within my spirit. Before this knee injury, I was listening and was going a hundred miles an hour nowhere. He began to show me that there was more to life than skiing and men, and I was here for a specific purpose. First, and I needed to learn how to serve people and show kindness instead of having an obnoxious attitude.
One of the days before I could get back on my skis, I was at Berthoud sunbathing on the deck and visiting friends. I’ll never forget this brief encounter I had with a good-looking man I’ve never met before. He sat down and as we were talking, and he said, “you know Jesus, don’t you?” I thought for a moment and said, “yes, I do; why did you ask?” He said, “you are different than the other ski bums here. I can tell you love the Lord, love others, and have a passion for Him. If you keep that passion for the Lord, and whatever you do for him, do it with passion like the passion you have for skiing, and you will do amazing things and will leave a positive legacy.” That was it, and he walked away, and I never saw him again.
GOD HAS A SPECIFIC PURPOSE: I just sat there in amazement on what this man said, because that was profound. Obviously, it was because even today I remember those words. What I have found over the years is God loves us so much that He will always be there for us even if we are not paying attention to Him. I love the fact the Lord used this man to speak with me. What is amazing is God does speak to us and He does have a very specific purpose and plan for each one of us, IF we will take the time to listen and pursue God’s plan for our life.
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DAILY ACTION STEP
Say to yourself out loud
I AM WHO GOD SAYS I AM
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FRIENDLY REMINDER: Take out your journal and write down your thoughts, takeaways, and progress for this week!
TAKEAWAY GEMS
- God speaks through his word and through other people.
- God will speak to each of us in our own unique way.
- YOU do have a specific purpose given by God.
- It’s our responsibility to listen, know, trust, and do what God has designed us to do!
QUESTIONS TO THINK ON
- Have you listened and do you know what your God given life purpose is?
- Are you doing what God has called you do? Or at least walking out the next assignment?
- If you don’t know your purpose, take some quiet time with the Lord and ask Him to show you.
ACTION STEP: YOUR LIFE PURPOSE statement: most business owners wouldn’t think about running a business without a purpose statement. However, many people live their lives without a life statement. This can be a really powerful exercise for you to take time to write your life purpose statement; for some it may blend with their business statement.
DAILY SCRIPTURES
DAY 1: Make it your goal to live a quiet life, minding your own business and working with your hands, just as we instructed you before [1 Thessalonians 4:11]
DAY 2: In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone. The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. [2 Peter 1:5-8]
DAY 3: For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was his plan from before the beginning of time to show us his grace through Christ Jesus. [2 Timothy 1:9]
DAY 4: So I concluded there is nothing better than to be happy and enjoy ourselves as long as we can. And people should eat and drink and enjoy the fruits of their labor, for these are gifts from God. [Ecclesiastes 3:12-13]
DAY 5: Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan. God’s purpose was that we Jews who were the first to trust in Christ would bring praise and glory to God. [Ephesians 1:11-12]
DAY 6: Only I can tell you the future before it even happens. Everything I plan will come to pass, for I do whatever I wish. [Isaiah 46:10]
DAY 7: Though good advice lies deep within the heart, a person with understanding will draw it out. [Proverbs 20:5]