The Perils of Purpose

I have never been a Science-Fiction kinda girl, but something happened in me when I was introduced to the TV show Fringe. What started with Fringe led me on a path that made my mind and heart ready to indulge in and utterly enjoy watching the show Stranger Things. Yes, it’s addictive! Yes, it’s grisly! Yes, for most scenes I have a cushion covering my eyes or a contorted face as I yell at the characters through our television screen! And yes, I love it! One of the most gut-wrenching scenes, among many, is where a character named Bob dies. Bob is a character in Stranger Things who is dating a single mother of two boys named Joyce. Because of his relationship with Joyce and the fact that her sons and their friends have been fighting off ugly monsters from a parallel universe, Bob finds himself in perilous danger. The monsters are called Demogorgons and boy are they ugly! Their appearance resembles a cross between a weird-looking flower, a dog and a painfully bone-thin man. Yep, ugly.

I have been thinking a lot about steps that guide us on our way to purpose and the roadblocks that can sometimes hinder our progress. I know it’s strange but this scene depicting the last moments of Bob’s life keeps coming to mind each time I ponder purpose. In the scene, Bob, his lady-friend Joyce and the Chief of Police Harper raid a science lab to rescue Joyce’s son and his friends. Joyce and Harper manage to get all the kids out of the building and Bob now has to make his way safely out to reunite with his love Joyce. The problem is, that the building is unfamiliar to him and dermogorgons are lurking in almost every corridor. In a security room of sorts, a top scientist at this lab, named Dr. Owens, an ally of the bunch, is watching all the hallways from strategically placed cameras in the building. Through an earpiece that Bob is wearing, Dr Owens is helping guide him out of the building, telling him which corridors to avoid because a dermogorgon lies in wait. After a few very stressful minutes, Bob is one corridor away from freedom and as he hides in a broom closet, sweating bullets and waiting for a nearby dermogorgon to pass, Dr. Owens informs him that he is just seconds away from the building exit. With an all clear and a ‘You can do this,’ from Dr. Owens, Bob tries to steady himself to make his final trek out of the building and safe from the human-eating monsters. He takes one deep breath and opens the closet door ever so carefully, but as he takes a step out of the tiny utility room, from the corner of his eye, he sees a broom start to fall.

I couldn’t sit down the first time I watched this scene (Yes, I’ve watched it more than once). I was standing up, stomach in knots, loudly begging Bob to catch the broom or will it to stop mid-air with his eyes. “You people! This man is going to die!” I said to the only other person in the living room with me, Ceaser. The broom falls to the ground, and yes, it happens in slow motion but Bob can’t do anything about it. As it hits the ground, making a noise that sounds much louder than it was, the dermogorgon turns around. Dr. Owens yells for Bob to run and so do Ceaser and I. Bob, a chubby and kind man, runs for dear life and escapes the dermogorgon by the skin of his teeth shutting the foyer door right in its face. In the foyer, Joyce is waiting for Bob who stops to catch his breath, turning to lock eyes with Joyce, a relief-filled smile across his face. Suddenly, a second dermogorgon coming from a different part of the building jumps Bob. Joyce screams in horror, letting other dermogorgons know where the Bob party is at. Before long four monsters are feasting on Bob while Chief Harper tries to get Joyce out of there before she’s next. What a way to die.

I cry out to God Most High, to God who will fulfil his purpose for me. ~ Psalm 57:2 (NLT)

Set your gaze on the path before you. With fixed purpose, looking straight ahead, ignore life’s distractions. ~ Proverbs 4:25 (TPT)

A person may have many ideas concerning God’s plan for his life, but only the designs of his purpose will succeed in the end. ~ Proverbs 19:21 (TPT)

As I have continued to think about this epic scene from Stranger Things and what it could have to do with purpose, I realise that there are two main ideas the Holy Spirit has been highlighting to me. The first is that our every move is critical when it comes to our pursuit of purpose. Bob could not afford to make any false moves, and in the end, something as seemingly inconsequential as a broom, got him killed. The second is that as we walk in purpose, we cannot allow ourselves to get distracted. Back to dear Bob. If he had lived, that would not have been the last time he was going to face those ugly monsters. Unfortunately, after running for his life, he took a moment to catch his breath and bask in the ambience of his love at the wrong moment, making it his last moment. He should have done that outside the building, or better yet, in the car as they drove away from that horrid place! He wasn’t out of danger, yet he chose to act as though he had already made it through to the other side.

In our own lives, as we walk with the Lord following His purpose for our lives, there will be critical times when we have to be on our highest alert, fixed on Him and opposed to distraction. I think of these times as seasons of transition. Don’t misunderstand me, our lives are not a constant adrenaline rush with monsters lurking in every corridor. Jesus won the victory over sin, death and the grave so that we would live our lives free and free indeed. There are times, however, when we will have to fight some giants, to get to the next level of what God has purposed in our lives. I have a few thoughts on what we must pay special attention to during such times that I would like to share with you.

Tie up loose ends

Usually, when we are in a transition season, we have such an excited expectation for the next season, that we forget to pay attention to any loose ends we may be leaving in our current season. What we don’t realise is that some things left undone, have the potential to disqualify us on the way to the next. When you feel yourself entering into a transition season, it is critical for you to focus on both the visible and invisible things. Don’t allow yourself to get distracted by the temptation to do just the bare minimum. Finish strong because most times, how you leave a season, is how you will enter the next.

Inspect your circle

Our lives were never meant to be lived in isolation. God has purposed for us to get to our destiny with the people He has placed in our lives. The thing about our circles is that they need constant evolution as we also evolve. On the precipice of a new season, we need to evaluate our circles with the help of the Holy Spirit. He alone knows where you are headed, and He alone knows who and what you will need to get there safely. Who may need to go? Who may need to be corrected and who may need to be added? Who is your Dr. Owens? Some people will be both inspired and insulted by your purpose. Not everyone can or should come along for the ride with you. Seasons of transition are costly and, in my experience, they reveal the foundation of the relationships in our lives. We must pay close attention to our relationships during such times and not allow ourselves to get distracted by trying to please people.

Get aligned

Alignment with God is paramount throughout our lives, but it is all the more important during seasons of moving to the next. By alignment, I mean our decision to be one with what God is saying and doing in any given situation. What we must realise is that alignment looks different for different things and in different seasons. My alignment with God before I became a wife was different from my alignment with God, now that I am a wife and mother of middles. Making subtle but significant tweaks along the way is the name of the game. It is crucial that we pray more during seasons of transition and don’t allow ourselves to be distracted by trying to do things how we have always done them because it’s convenient.

Choose your battles carefully

I have heard it said that in marriage we are to choose our battles and in parenting, everything is a battle. Depending on the day, I can agree with this. What I can say for certain is that on our walk to purpose, what we choose to fight is extremely important. The enemy will try to distract us with “fake” battles to get us to waste our energy before the real fight in us is needed. Every fight has a cost. The most tangible cost is energy, but there are also intangibles we must consider and these will differ from person to person. We must ask ourselves two questions concerning the battles of life; the first is, what will I gain by winning this battle, and the second is, what will it cost me if I don’t fight? The answer to these questions will guide your steps as you face your giants. Our commitment to pursuing purpose with God places an array of demands on us and we cannot afford to be distracted by shadowboxing. Each punch must carry with it precision and purpose.

Purpose is not for the faint-hearted. God has already made commitments to us regarding our purpose, it is now up to us to commit to doing the thing with Him. As we go, we must be mentally prepared for times of trial and pressure. The fact is that God will have to get you through some troubled waters to get you to your destiny. In all things, His grace is sufficient for us. As a final thought, Psalm 16:5 in The Passion Translation is a wonderful prayer to pray often as we continue to pursue purpose: “Lord, I have chosen you alone as my inheritance. You are my prize, my pleasure, and my portion. I leave my destiny and its timing in your hands, amen.