Activating Your Purpose: Pt. 1

Are You Full?

In 2008, Sony pictures released a movie entitled, Vantage Point. It immediately grabbed my attention because of the creative way in which the plot unfolded. An American president was assassinated while making a speech in Spain. What made it interesting is the story was told and retold from several different vantage points, through the eyes of various characters. I love it when writers and directors find innovative ways to tell stories through film. Similarly, I found myself doing the same thing while reading about one of Jesus’ many miracles.

John 3:1-12 tells a fascinating story of Jesus performing His first miracle at a wedding by turning water into wine. As I read through this familiar passage, I couldn’t help but re-read it over and over again, each time seeing the miraculous event through the eyes of different characters and entities in the narrative. Each time I did so, the story came alive in new ways and its lessons leaped off the page, hitting me in a way they had never done before. This blog is the first in a series in which I will share the various perspectives and insights gained from multiple viewpoints of this story. The first one may be unexpected, because it’s not from an actual character’s vantage point at all, but rather an object – the water jugs. Wait! What?! The Water Jugs? Yes. Believe it or not, the lesson shouted from the lips of the water jugs in this story is both deafening and beautiful! Let’s get into it.

Quick Review

If you’re not familiar with the story, while attending a wedding with her son and his friends, Jesus’ mother, Mary, learned some unfortunate news. The stockpile of wine reserved for the guests was done. All of it…used up! I’m not sure if this was due to an over indulgence by the guests or very poor planning by the caterers, but nevertheless, there was nothing left. Jesus’ mother rushed to her son with the news, desperate for His assistance. Somehow she knew He could fix the situation. However, surprisingly, she was met by apparent ambivalence when Jesus asked her, “Why do you involve me?” In a dignified defiance to his response and a calm confidence in the extraordinary compassion she knew He possessed, Mary told the servants to do whatever He asked.

This is when things got very interesting. Jesus instructed the servants to fill up some really big jars with water (each holding 20 – 30 gallons) and then draw some out to serve to the master of ceremonies overseeing the wedding feast! And they did! Astonishingly, the master of ceremonies loved it and raved about how excellent a wine it was.

Lesson

Now here’s the gut check part! We get so fixated on the fact that wine was miraculously drawn from previously empty jars, now filled to the brim with water. However, filled jars was never the point; filled cups were! Let me say it another way. Filling jars was never the end goal; pouring what the jars were filled with into empty cups was. For what good is a full jar amongst empty cups?

Then it hit me. Am I like that full jar? Am I content being filled and not being poured? Am I hoarding all of God’s blessings, while in the midst of a world holding empty cups? Am I ok with being filled to the brim with severely underutilized God-given talent, gifts and skill while “guests” are languishing in need of hope because I’m distracted by “making a living” just to pay bills? Am I satisfied filling up myself, gorging on a great word and awesome worship every weekend making myself fat with praise, while the world starves in a desert of despair? Remember, the point was never the full jars. The goal was to fill empty cups!

The focus of this blog series is not to help you “find” your purpose, per se; it’s to help you activate it! See, many of you (myself included) already have a sense in your gut…an idea…a glimmer of light about your purpose, even if it’s not 100% clear. The problem is, you…we…are not fulfilling it. This story opened my eyes in a new way to the “why” of this problem. As a result, I believe I’ve found the first key to unlock the door of the prison incarcerating my purpose to set it free. Hopefully, it’ll help set yours free too. Here it is!

First Key: Understand “Your Purpose!”

There’s a difference between “purpose” and “your purpose.” What do you mean Drew?! I believe we’ve gotten this thing called purpose completely backwards. When I say, “purpose,” I’m referring to the problem you were uniquely created and called to solve (more on this in an upcoming blog as part of this series). This is what we’ve unfortunately myopically focused much of our attention on, while completely ignoring the other purpose – “your purpose.” You see, when I say, “your purpose,” I’m referring to something larger…something overarching…a container.

If those water jugs could speak, I believe they would say three things:

It doesn’t matter what’s in me. I’m a container and my purpose is to pour.

Activating your purpose begins with you realizing who you are. You’re a temporary holding place of something valuable. What’s in you was never designed to stay there. 

What’s in me is not mine. It’s meant for others. 

When you understand that you are a container designed to temporarily hold something valuable for someone else, you’ll see yourself differently. You’ll move differently. You’ll choose differently. You’ll loosen your tight grip in your tug-of-war with fear because you’ll realize you’ve been entrusted with the solution to someone’s problem. That solution (whatever it is) does not belong to you! It’s intended for the benefit of someone else. Holding on to it then, is not an option because it was never yours! If you do, you become a thief.

Jars aren’t filled to stay full. They’re filled to be poured. 

We spend way too much time analyzing, strategizing, procrastinating holding on to the value we were meant to release. The answer to this dilemma is really simple. You’ve got something to pour. So, just start pouring…whatever it is. Trust me. I know what it’s like to be reluctant…to be held prisoner by fear. However, I can’t continue hoarding what I know will benefit others. So, this blog series is my attempt at taking my own advice. I’m pouring out what was never meant for me. It was meant for you. So, take it and do the same for someone else.

Are you full? There’s an entire world out there in need of being filled. Pour out what you’ve been filled with.

Stay tuned for Part 2 in the series coming soon!

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