Purpose and Passion

Turns Out God Was Ghostwriting My Career Plan All Along

"Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge." — Psalm 19:2

The Problem

Almost every coaching conversation I have eventually circles back to some version of the same question: "Am I even doing the right thing with my life?"

People come to me exhausted from chasing a "passion" they haven't found yet. Others feel guilty for enjoying a job that doesn't sound impressive enough at parties. And a lot of high-performers are quietly terrified that they've built an entire career on autopilot, with no grand plan behind it — just decisions made because they seemed interesting at the time.

Sound familiar? It should. Because I was that client too.

The Reflection

For years, I prayed for clarity like it was a subscription I forgot to activate. Lord, just send the master plan. One PDF. That's all I'm asking.

Instead, I got certifications. A lot of them. I signed up for coaching programs because they looked interesting, not because they fit some grand strategy. I got certified in things because the curriculum caught my eye. No five-year plan. No vision board. Just curiosity, one credential at a time — secretly wondering if I was just avoiding a "real" decision by staying busy.

Looking back now? None of it was random. While I was demanding a map, one was already being drawn — using the exact things I'd dismissed as side interests.

This is basically Psalm 19's whole message: the heavens don't hold a press conference to announce God's glory. They just show up, day after day, night after night, until the pattern is unmistakable. Purpose works the same way. It's rarely a lightning bolt. It's an accumulation — usually only visible in the rearview mirror.

The Solution

Here's what I now tell clients stuck in the "do I even have a purpose" spiral: stop looking for the mission statement. Start looking for the pattern.

What have you kept returning to, even when it made no strategic sense? What skill did you pick up "just because"? That recurring curiosity isn't a distraction from your path — it's usually data about it. You don't need the whole map today. You need to notice the next quiet nudge.

The Tip

Try this: once a week, write down one thing you did that felt slightly you — even if it had nothing to do with your job title. Not the achievements. The instincts. Over a few months, read them back together.

You won't see a straight line. You'll see a shape. And that shape, more often than not, turns out to be the plan you were praying for all along.

Lord, help me notice what You're already building — even when I can't see the finished shape yet.

#purpose #motivation #coaching #leadership