Walking with Purpose

I wrote what I am about to share with you in the beginning of the year. Although the month of February is almost over, it’s never too late to pause and think about purpose. Specially now, that we just started Lent, it is the perfect time to evaluate what we are doing and how we are living our lives and our faith. I hope this somehow gives you some clarity and that it truly blesses you.

JANUARY 2023

This is the time of the year in which we ask ourselves a lot of questions. We question what we did during the past year, and sometimes, even what we did years ago. We question what will be of us and our family in the future. We think about dreams and things we want to accomplish during the year. And if we are super holy, or at least, trying to be… we ask God what does He want from us in this year…

What is our main purpose? Our purpose as Christians is to love, to serve, and to be holy. That’s what we are called to do…

But what if we dig deep, and narrow down the question to “What is my purpose this year?... What does God want for me in this very moment?”

We are all going through different realities in this time. Because of this, our purpose might not be the same. Maybe in this time, your purpose is to heal old wounds. Maybe your purpose this year is to forgive someone that truly hurt you and disappointed you. Maybe your purpose this year is to spend more time with the people you love. Maybe your purpose this year is to grow closer to God.

The truth is our real purpose revolves around God. If we know God and grow closer to Him through prayer, his word, and the sacraments, we can know ourselves, we can understand our identity… which all lead to our purpose.

I remember that when I used to live in PR, I was having a conversation with my tío Georgie. I remember him telling me that one of the saddest things that can happen to us humans is going through life without ever learning God’s purposes for our lives. That kind of marked me and it got me thinking… “what if I never discover my purpose?” It’s been maybe like 8-10 years from that, and honestly, I am still in the process of discovering my purpose…. But every time I grow closer to the Father, I feel closer to my purpose.

Now, there was a time when this was not the case. I had no idea what my purpose was, and this was because of my poor decision making. I was choosing to stay in places that pulled me away from God. In a way, I was abandoning my values and beliefs, and when we do this, we not only abandon God, but we abandon his purpose for us.

Sometimes I think and say “Wow… It took a hurricane and me moving to Florida… Going through loneliness, sadness, disappointment, and frustration to finally realize that I was not living according to what the Lord had dream for my life.”

Reality is, we don't have to wait until we hit rock bottom to know our purpose. Nor do we have to settle and stay in places we don’t belong. That is not what God wants for us. He wants us to live the life we ​​were created for and that is why we need to seek him every day.

Personally, I have felt called to put these three B’s into practice in order to live purposefully. Hopefully, these are a blessing to you and you can add them to your list of purposes for this year and for Lent.

1. Be light and seek the light: In your daily life, try to bring others closer to Jesus, not only by talking about Him, but also by imitating Him. Love, listen, and be present... This is what Jesus would do. But in order to be light, you need to SEEK THE LIGHT. Pray, read the word, and participate in the sacraments. If you don't know where to start, look for friends who will bring you closer to the light... you need a community of people who will be light in your process.

2. Be present: We can’t stay living in the past and we shouldn’t live anxiously about the future either (this last one is really tough for me)… We need to be present in the moment. It’s the only thing we have within reach. Let's focus our eyes on the now, on the big things or little things we have at this very moment. Let us be present for ourselves, for those who we love, and, above all, for God. Being present often requires us to pause in the day and… embrace and welcome the now that the Lord has blessed us with!

3. Start fresh: Every day is a new opportunity to start anew and be transformed by the love of Christ. A lot of things might happen on the way (this includes sin). These things might try to make us doubt our purpose and worth. We might even feel unworthy of God’s love and forgiveness, but let’s remember that his mercies are new every day and that just one word will be sufficient for Him to heal us. Keep trying, keep living, but not on your own terms. Keep trying, over and over again, again and again, but WITH GOD.

So, may we open our hearts to Jesus during this year and this Lent season, and may we pray… “My past, O Lord, to Your mercy; my present, to Your love; my future to Your providence.”