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Episode Overview
There is one thing that study after study has determined that leads to happiness, joy, and even longer life. That thing is purpose. The reason we are happier and more content when we live on purpose is that that is how God designed us. God has a purpose for all of us. He has made and shaped us for that purpose. And, when we find and say “yes” to that purpose, we experience a much more meaningful, joyful and peaceful life. But, what is your purpose? How do you know what it is? And, once you know, what do you do differently? That’s what we discuss in this episode.
Pod Club/Retreat Radio Community Discussion Guide
- What are some of your talents and gifts?
- What is a specific time in your life when you felt most like you were doing what God “wired” you to do? How did you feel?
- What were some of your life experiences that were helpful to you in that situation?
- How do you think God may be calling you to use your talents and gifts to serve others?
- If you know what and how God wants to use you, and you’re not currently living in that purpose, what is it that is keeping you from doing what it is God wants you to do?
Learn more about Retreat Radio Pod Clubs.
Show Recap
In this episode of the Retreat Radio show, Mike and Jay discussed our purpose in life. Mike started out the show talking about the challenges he was facing at work. He found strength and support from God through prayer and asked, “What do you want me to do Lord”?
Jay brought up the book by Robert Fulghum “All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten”. Life is fairly simple when you boil it down to the basics. We learned early on how to act and treat others and by doing so it shapes/molds who we become.
We both remember early on in religion class that God made us, and our purpose is to love, honor, and serve him. At birth, we are completed dependent on our parents to provide us care. Without this care, we would not have survived. In the same way, we are totally dependent on God. It is through him that life itself is possible. He is our true provider, and everything we have or do is because of Him!
Serving God is our primary goal in life. We perform acts of service out of the love of God. As humans, we sometimes focus on self-interest. What is in it for me? We have that “Ah-ha” moment when we realize an act of service came naturally to us. These are the moments we can truly see God working through and in us. We must be willing to let God use us, and by doing so we are fulfilling his purpose for us.
Jay shared how God wants us to find and use our talents. Our talents are our treasures. We call them treasures because sometimes they are buried, and we must search to find them. Sharing our talents with others provides joy to God and others. We can’t let our self-esteem prevent us from discovering our talents. Jesus said that we shouldn’t put our treasure under a bushel basket. We need to go out and let them shine for others to see.
How do we discover what our talents are? Some talents may be basic. Take time and think about what you are good at. What skills do you have that almost seem natural? These are areas where with the effort you can expand your talent and share them with others. The challenge is to find out what God really wants us to do. We are all wired differently and collectively our skills/talents can be used for the benefit of God.
Worship is a way we show how we love, honor, and serve God. We provided the community with some ideas on how to better serve God through worship. They include attending mass during the week, joining a faith-sharing group, helping others through service, or keeping a journal about your relationship with God. Mike shared some insights about the faith sharing group he has been a part of and talked about what he writes in his daily journal. All it takes is two steps! First, make the commitment. Secondly, act!