The term “the golden years” was coined in 1959 in an advertising campaign for America’s first large retirement community, located in the middle of the Arizona desert. The advertisers targeted couples, 55 and older, who would embrace retirement as the crowning achievement of a lifetime of hard work by traveling, playing golf, and doing anything but work. The campaign was a success and launched a brand-new, thriving industry focused on helping people achieve their dream of retiring in style.

No wonder Sun City’s model was a success. The idea of a thriving retirement community filled with activities and likeminded people sounded like the perfect solution. Back in the ’50s, retirement was viewed as a time of decline and loneliness, and many seniors would find themselves struggling to find new purpose in life.

I believe the issue is still prevalent today.

Empty nesters who longed for the time when their children would become independent may find themselves staring at vacant bedrooms, feeling dreadfully lonely, abandoned, and even depressed.

Retirees who planned and prepared for their “golden years” with faithful zeal, may find themselves packing suitcases for their next adventure with less zest than anticipated.

But I don’t think the issue of lack of purpose is confined to the “golden years.”

A quick internet search of books on life’s purpose renders an extensive list. Whether secular or faith-based titles, the market seems to be saturated with authors attempting to share their understanding of how to find meaning in life.

A cynic may summarize life as a collection of appointments, to-do lists, good times and heartbreaks. However, that concept completely changes when one finds a higher purpose. More than words in a book or an idea in Scriptures, it is evident that God created us with a longing to make a difference … a heart that yearns to aim for a destination.

More than words in a book or an idea in Scriptures, it is evident that God created us with a longing to make a difference … a heart that yearns to aim for a destination. #MondayMotivation #Monday Devotional @AJC
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A life without a purpose is like a ship without a rudder. Or like Alice in Wonderland. Bear with me.

If you’ve read the book or watched the movie, you may remember a conversation between Alice and the Cheshire Cat, when Alice asks: “Would you tell me please, which way I ought to go from here?” The elusive cat answered: “That depends a good deal on where you want to get to.” “I don’t much care where,” said Alice. “Then it doesn’t matter which way you go,” the cat replied.

I believe many of us are living like Alice. We may have started the course with a clear direction. Then, life happened. We became too busy. Too tired. Too angry. And then, we lost focus.

The direction, once as bright as a summer day, now lacks clarity. God’s voice, once loud and decisive, becomes fogged by the weight of our doubts. We are confident we belong somewhere, but simply do not know how to get there.

The direction, once as bright as a summer day, now lacks clarity. God’s voice, once loud and decisive, becomes fogged by the weight of our doubts. #MondayMotivation #Monday Devotional @AJC
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If you are a person of faith, you may be wondering … Is there sin in my life that prevents me from finding the path back to a clear purpose?

Maybe. Then again, maybe not. I would like to offer a different possibility.

Could it be that the destination never changed, the calling was never withheld, but rather, you stopped moving toward the right direction by becoming distracted by less important things? Could it be that what you lack is simply focus?

Fulfilling life’s purpose is not an undecipherable mystery. It is a deliberate pursuit.

Intentionality and focus propel. Procrastination and confusion stall. One of these pairs will inevitably become protagonists of every story. That idea alone should challenge anyone whose life lacks purpose.

Fulfilling life’s purpose is not an undecipherable mystery. It is a deliberate pursuit. Intentionality and focus propel. Procrastination and confusion stall.
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As a big birthday greets me next week, and even though I am still a bit far from the “golden years,” I am challenged to keep intentional about God’s calling to my life, and not become distracted with what everyone else is or is not doing. I am challenged to focus on my God-given purpose, keep my ears tuned to his voice, that I may not miss one single step along the way.

This article was originally published in Patricia’s column for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Saturday, June 8, 2019.

The post Life without a Purpose {The Atlanta Journal Constitution} appeared first on Soaring With Him Ministries.

Have you ever been around someone who just cannot let go of the past?  Has it ever been you?

These types of personalities can be met everywhere and each family has at least one. They drag their shackles around everywhere they go. They are slaves and do not know it. They are unhappy and invariably become bitter, resentful and lonely. So.very.lonely.

They are doctors and housewives, wealthy and poor. Many of them sit on the pew right beside us. They know God and his word. And yet, for different reasons, they choose to remain chained to the misery of their past, even though they know that God longs to set them free.

My heart aches for them.But truthfully, many of us have been there. I know I have.

For years I looked back to find justification for my bad attitude and shallow faith. I would blame my insecurities on my parent’s broken marriage and my poor self-image on things that I heard growing up. I blamed my jealousy on that boyfriend who was unfaithful and my reluctance in giving up bad habits on the fact that I was raised in a more liberal culture.

Blame, blame, blame.

Attached to the chains that keep us bound to our past is the Blame Monster. And we feed it every time we drag the past around, allowing it to rob us of an abundant, successful present and future.

Honestly, it’s not easy to release the past. And I cannot in all fairness compare my own, however painful, experiences with some terrible stories which I’ve heard. But regardless of the measure of our pain, we, people of faith, eventually must be confronted with two simple questions: “Am I willing to let go?” and “Is God able to rewrite my story?”

Sometimes it is easier to bring the past along with us, because in order to confront it, we must realize our share of responsibility over our destiny. Of course, there are things that happen that are absolutely outside of our control: no one does anything to justify abuse, nor the onset of severe illness. Neither is it one’s fault that a parent dies nor leaves home, abandoning his or her family. These are truly traumatic experiences, brought on people by decisions of which they had no control.

However, there are hurts of the past that have a measure of self-infliction which is hard to confront. It’s easier to continue blaming mom and dad, or the ex-husband or ex-wife, than looking within ourselves, asking God to help us forgive and allowing Him to show us how to move forward and take ownership of our destiny.

There is also the fact that we become accustomed to living in bondage. We may have blamed the circumstances in our past for so long, that we do not know how to survive without the dysfunction!

There is no future for those trapped in the shackles of their past. And although many of us have, humanly speaking, perfectly good reasons to hold a grudge against a certain person, we must realize that setting them free is not only God’s will for us, it is ultimately the destination for all of those who have real peace and victory.

Patricia Holbrook is a Christian author and national conference speaker. Her first book, “12 Inches: Bridging the Gap Between What You Know and How You Feel About God,” is now on Kindle, and pre-selling at Barnes and Noble, Amazon and other retailers worldwide. Visit her blog to read her devotionals at www.soaringwithhim.com or email her at pholbrook@soaringwithhim.com

The post Letting Go of the Past (Atlanta Journal Column) appeared first on Soaring With Him Ministries.