What is my purpose? Why am I here on earth? Am I accomplishing the tasks for which I was intended? I feel like I’m missing the meaning of life. I just want to know where I fit in. These questions and statements haunt us all. They can scratch our soul until we are raw, in pain and defeated.

They seem like such noble questions. None of us wants to live a selfish life. We all want to feel like our time here is being spent wisely, making a difference and positively affecting those around us. These are good things. These are things we must strive for. The problem with finding our true purpose is that it quickly becomes a lonely search. Once we set out to answer this question, everything else fades into the background. We got stuck. We tell ourselves that nothing matters without our purpose. We almost become obsessed with the idea that finding our purpose will change the world.

Okay, maybe I’m being a bit overly dramatic, but let’s be honest with ourselves: We are all guilty of spending countless hours of time and energy searching within ourselves for our purpose. Meanwhile, those around us with real needs are mentally marginalized as we try to figure out how we’re going to save the world.

After wasting years of my life searching for my purpose everywhere except in front of myself, I have finally realized that there is no great mystery. No cloud of smoke or loud voice will ever proclaim my purpose from the heavens. I have been waiting for the answers while ignoring the truth that was right under my feet. I am not saying that we are born without a purpose, without a destiny. On the contrary, I believe that we are all called to a purpose greater than ourselves. In Ephesians 4, the Bible tells us that we are all called to one faith, one God, one Body and that, as the body of Christ, we are to be humble, meek and full of love for our neighbor. Psalm 119:105 reminds us that the Word of God is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. This tells us that God illuminates what is in front of us, nothing more and nothing less.

Seeking our purpose is actually a very selfish act. The questions that surround it focus only on us. What am I supposed to do, why am I here, how am I supposed to change the things I can’t control? While we are focused on fighting our inner ego, there are people all around us who need us to be consciously living in the moment. Our calling is to be humble, kind and loving, but our first response is to think that it is all about us and our purpose.

I can tell you one thing for sure: I know our purpose is not to take an intrapersonal journey into the depths of our soul in a feeble attempt to find our “calling.” We are called to love and serve those around us. That means that our purpose is in the here and now. It is not about finding an unknown future. It is about living in the moment to serve, help, protect, guide, love and care for those who cross our path.

I have come to learn that my life will be filled with all kinds of different purposes. Each day brings a new purpose as I meet and interact with new people. I am effective only when I am willing to admit and accept that I do not have a high calling. My job is simply to be a ready and waiting servant. Jesus, through his death and resurrection, has already fulfilled the great calling. It was his burden and responsibility to save the world, not mine. He has already fulfilled the goal and brought salvation to all who are lost, hungry and thirsty. My job is not to try to surpass what God has already accomplished through his son his Jesus his. My job is simply to point the way to the truth, to the one true Savior of the world.

The very nature of my search to find a greater purpose for my life, and the desire in my heart to save the world, is not noble. It comes from a lack of understanding and faith about what God has already done. By assuming that I can save the world or even my family, I mock the sacrifice and saving grace of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. If I truly believe that Jesus saved the world, why don’t I tell everyone I meet about the wonderful gift that God offers us? No, instead I avert my eyes from the world as I bow my head and pray that God will show me the way. My closed eyes, shut tight in prayer, are a reflection of my closed mind, unwilling to accept what God has been trying to tell us for centuries. I pray for answers, but I never shut up long enough to hear the truth.

Now, I finally understand my purpose. It’s a more wonderful purpose than I could have ever imagined, and it’s your purpose too. Our purpose is to live our lives with open eyes and eager hearts. We have been given the gift of salvation by the One who has already been called to save the world. Our job is simply to accept this gift and spread the message that the Savior has come by being in the moment, ready and willing to love and share the truth with everyone around us.