Purpose (Rachel Emens)

Right now, I am spending my time focused on the story of Moses and the Promised Land.

Miriam is my girl and one of my newest favorite characters. I feel like if she were still alive today, we'd be instant friends. I'd want the two of us playing tambourines together, dancing barefoot, and laughing like little girls. I'd ask her to pray over me like she did her people. I'd ask her what it looked like when Moses split the sea and what it felt like to walk through it. I just know I'd have a million questions and would probably ramble until she finally had to rein me in.

Usually, in that time, women were quiet, kept their place, and lived as slaves. Miriam knew her place, but regardless of Pharaoh being king over the Israelites, God was King of her heart. She was bold. She did uncomfortable things loudly and without question. She followed Moses along the Nile River, ensuring his safety. She prophesied over her people. And my favorite part, she played her tambourine to worship God after He saved them through the Red Sea.

God had given Miriam a purpose, and she walked in it faithfully. She was confident. 

But she was human.

Somewhere along the way, she stopped looking at what God had called her to do and started looking at what He had called Moses to do. Comparison crept in. She lost sight of her own purpose because she became focused on someone else's. God corrected her, but He didn't abandon her. He waited for her. He restored her. He reminded her that she was still His daughter and that her place in His story had not changed.

I think a lot of us do the same thing. We spend so much time looking at what God is doing in someone else's life that we forget what He is doing in ours. We compare callings, gifts, opportunities, and seasons. We become distracted by someone else's purpose and lose sight of our own. 

But purpose cannot be found in comparison.

God has given each of us a specific role in His kingdom. When we keep our eyes on Him instead of others, we can walk confidently in the purpose He has given us. Just because God is using someone else in a different way doesn't mean He has forgotten about you. Your purpose was never meant to look like theirs. It was always meant to be your own.