It All Start's with God

Before I jump into this, I should set it up by saying that I will be blogging my way through Rick Warren's book, The Purpose Driven Life. As my friends and family know, I will be starting law school in August. As the days march me closer to the start of a new school year, I am endeavoring to constantly be cultivating a sense of calling in my life. It is my hope that as I walk through Purpose Driven Life over the next forty days my sense of calling will become more clear.

Thanks for reading and commenting. Hope my journey can help you too.

"Unless you assume a God, the question of life's purpose is meaningless." This quote from Bertrand Russell, a philosopher and atheist who lived from 1872 to 1970 (thanks wikipedia), leads directly to Rick's simple statement, "It's not about you."

It's not about me... I think I grasp that... As I survey the next steps in life and plan my future, I think I understand that I am not at the center of the universe or even my own little world. Thanks to years of Bible training and pew filling, my brain tells me that my place or my purpose in the world is given to me by God and not discovered by trusting my heart or soul searching.

Here's my challenge: I believe that I am following God's purpose for my life, but I don't know what that purpose is exactly. Right now, my least favorite question in the world is, "Why do you want to go law school?" (Or some other variation of that.) I hate the question because I don't have an answer that satisfies those asking. If I am honest, my answer doesn't really satisfy me at times. The only answer I can offer is that I feel it is something to which God has drawn me. I don't know what comes after law school. Maybe firm work. Maybe back to church work. Perhaps a combination of the two. It could be something completely different. I don't know. That is what scares me.

Embracing the idea that it is not about me seems like a simple move from a self-centered to a God centered life. But is is more than that. It is a transfer of dependence. If life is not about me, life doesn't depend on me. Living a life that is not about me is more than an exercise in unselfishness. It is trusting. It is waiting. It is listening. It is searching. Perhaps more than anything, it is surrender. Surrender of my will, my way of doing things, and my desire to impress family and friends with a well thought-out answer for questions like, "why law school" and "what is after."

I guess the answer is, it's not about me.