When Jesus becomes the center—not just another component, but the very heart of why we do what we do—everything else finds its proper place. I remember sitting across from a friend whose life had been upended by circumstances beyond her control. "How are you still standing?" I asked her. Her answer stays with me, "Because my purpose isn't tied to what I have or what I do—it's tied to Who I follow."
That's the difference a purpose-driven life makes when challenges come. It's not that the storms don't hit—they still do. It's that we're anchored to something that the storms can't move.
John 1:5 reminds us that "the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it." This isn't just poetic language. It's a promise for those moments when we can't see the way forward. The light still shines, even when clouds gather. The purpose remains, even when plans fall apart.
Living with purpose means seeing each interaction, each decision, each response to difficulty as connected to something eternal. It transforms mundane moments into meaningful ones. That conversation with a neighbor. The project at work. The way we respond when things don't go as planned. All of it matters when viewed through the lens of God's purposes.
I've noticed something about people who weather life's challenges with grace. They've settled the question of what they're living for before the challenge arrives. They've decided in advance that their worth isn't determined by circumstances. They've anchored themselves to truths that don't change when everything else does.
So how does living for Jesus help us withstand challenges? By giving us a "why" that's bigger than any obstacle. By showing us that our story is part of a greater narrative. By reminding us that what looks like an ending might actually be a beginning.
Purpose doesn't exempt us from difficulty. But it does transform how we experience it. When we understand that we're living for something—Someone—beyond what we can physically see, even the darkest valleys become pathways rather than destinations.
This isn't about adding more religious activities to our lives. It's about allowing Jesus to infuse meaning into everything we already do. It's about waking up each morning with the settled confidence that today matters—not because of what we accomplish, but because of who we serve.
And in that certainty, we find what we need to face whatever lies ahead.