When I was 20 years old, I read a life-changing book, Getting Things Done by David Allen.

I read this book from cover to cover, highlighting entire pages because everything Allen wrote resonated with me.

The book's premise, as indicated in the title, is a productivity guide.

Allen teaches the readers a methodology on how to get from where you’re at to where you want to be…. Anywhere you want to be.

This was undoubtedly the best book I've read on how to navigate from point A to point B.

The book left me feeling so equipped that I distinctly remember thinking, "I’ve just read the most important book I'll ever need." It felt as though I had been handed the keys to the abundant life.

But, there was only one problem... a big one… at twenty years old, I didn’t know where I was supposed to go.

This isn't that uncommon, right? Many of us feel called to fulfill a significant purpose in our lives, but we simply don't know where to start.

It’s like your purpose is on the other side of a dense fog that's spread out before you. You know it's there, but the fog is so thick that you can't see through to the other side. So, you spend what feels like years attempting to navigate an unknown path with no clear visibility.

Why? Because we want to understand so we can fulfill our purpose in life.

But does it really have to be this way? Why must we spend years navigating through a fog?

I appreciate Rick Warren's perspective that when you're seeking purpose and direction in life, you really only have two choices: Speculation or Revelation.

SPECULATION: Your first option is speculation. This is what most people choose. They conjecture, they guess, they theorize. When people say, “I’ve always thought life is . . .” they mean, “This is the best guess I can come up with.”

REVELATION: Fortunately, there is an alternative to speculation about the meaning and purpose of life. It’s revelation. We can turn to what God has revealed about life in the Bible (more tomorrow). The easiest way to discover the purpose of an invention is to ask the creator of it.

The same is true for discovering your life’s purpose: Ask God. God has not left us in the dark to wonder and guess. He has revealed his five purposes for our lives through the Bible. It is our owner’s manual, explaining why we are alive, how life works, what to avoid, and what to expect in the future.

The purpose of your life is far greater than your own personal fulfillment, your peace of mind, or even your happiness. It’s far greater than your family, your career, or even your wildest dreams and ambitions. If you want to know why you were placed on this planet, you must begin with God.

You were born by his purpose and for his purpose. The search for the purpose of life has puzzled people for thousands of years. That’s because we typically begin at the wrong starting point — ourselves. We ask self-centered questions like

But focusing on ourselves will never reveal our life’s purpose. The Bible says, “It is God who directs the lives of his creatures.” Everyone’s life is in his power. Contrary to what many popular books, movies, and seminars tell you, you won’t discover your life’s meaning by looking within yourself. You have probably tried that already.

You didn’t create yourself, so there is no way you can tell yourself what you were created for! If I handed you an invention you had never seen before, you wouldn’t know its purpose, and the invention itself wouldn’t be able to tell you either. Only the creator or the owner’s manual could reveal its purpose.

You exist only because God wills that you exist. You were made by God and for God — and until you understand that, life will never make sense. It is only in God that we discover our origin, our identity, our meaning, our purpose, our significance, and our destiny. Every other path leads to a dead end..

If you want a deeper understanding, you must seek the creator for the purpose of creation.

WHY THIS MATTERS: You're likely successful according to your own definition of success. However, you face a crucial decision. You can choose to be successful on your self-designed path, or you can choose to succeed in the purposes for which God created you.

more tomorrow,

Hunter