I used to have a close relationship with alcohol. I always kept a small collection of drinks at home and enjoyed crafting my own cocktail recipes. I rarely went to bed without drinking, drowned my disappointments in them, and spent a large part of my grocery budget at liquor stores. I told myself there was nothing wrong. After all, I was not hurting anyone, and I did not consider myself an alcoholic. I never made a conscious effort to stop anyway.
May to July 2021 was a very depressing and sad period of my life. I was extremely sad and discovered that all the alcohol in the world did not make me any lighter.
In my despair, I remember pulling out my laptop one night and typing a letter to God. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to ask for; at that moment I lacked the imagination to ask for anything explicitly. So, after I poured out my heart to God in writing, I simply asked for His light.
Discovering Righteousness and Freedom
Gradually, I began to understand something foundational about the Christian life.
The Word says, “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness” (Matthew 6:33). I finally understood that to seek first the Kingdom means putting God first and living out His purpose for my life, and that His righteousness means having a relationship with Jesus Christ, who is my righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21).
I realized I could never achieve righteousness by my own effort, trying would only exhaust me. So, the true Christian lifestyle is a life of freedom: freedom not only from darkness but also from the burden of trying to prove our righteousness through our actions. I am already the righteousness of God because of what Christ has done for me (Galatians 5:1, Romans 3:22).
One of the first things we learn about God is that He is love (1 John 4:8). Out of that love, He made a way to remove the weight of our past and future mistakes, along with any shame and guilt, so that we can live freely. God made this way so that we can always be in relationship with Him, since sin is the only thing that separates us from God. If sin no longer exists, then the door to a relationship with Him is always open.
C’est fini.
Transformation Through Love
God’s love began to transform how I saw both myself and others.
Without forcing myself, I stopped drinking. For a very long time, I had zero craving for alcohol. Something inside me simply changed, I also began to see people differently. If God could love me as much as He does every day, then surely, I could learn to love and forgive others as well. Jesus teaches that when we stand praying, we should forgive. I began to practice forgiveness more intentionally. (Mark 11:25).
My testimony became the foundation for reshaping my relationship with God. I realized the depth of His love and began to see myself the way God sees me. As Jesus revealed Himself to me as light, love, humility, and royalty, I recognized that I too am called to embody those virtues and become a blessing to the world around me. (Colossians 1:27).
If I had only one message to share with the world for the rest of my life, through both my words and actions, it would be the message of love. I would show the world how much the love of God through Christ has changed my life forever. It has given me peace and the confident assurance that even when everything seems bleak, His love will never fail (Romans 8:38–39).
Wrestling With the Question of Purpose
I experienced transformation and learned about relationship but struggled with purpose, mostly because I isolated purpose to mean some distant answer I must find for myself in order to be complete.
I began to understand something simpler and deeper, which is that the purpose of God for me is not far-fetched. It does not mean that I have to move to Pakistan on a mission or run an orphanage in Eastern Nigeria in order to fulfil purpose or be complete.
I am already complete in Love (Colossians 2:10).
God’s purpose for our lives is not always far away or mysterious. In many ways, it is already woven into who we are.
Two Dimensions of Purpose
God’s purpose for our lives is multifaceted because we all eventually get to wear many hats throughout life. But it can often be understood in two broad ways:
1. Participating in the expansion of God’s Kingdom
The call to populate the Kingdom of God is not limited to evangelists, pastors, or apostles. While they have important roles in ministry and on the pulpit, every one of us carries influence in everyday life.
Each of us has been given spiritual gifts through the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:4–7). These gifts often lie dormant within us, are taken for granted, or are sometimes used only for personal advancement.
Yet wherever we live and work, whether in education, business, family life, or community, we have opportunities to reflect our light into those spaces. Everyone is a minister in that sense.
2. Stewarding what God has given each of us.
From the beginning, humanity was called to be fruitful, multiply, and exercise dominion over the earth (Genesis 1:28).
It means building something meaningful with what we have been given. It means creating stability, prosperity, and legacy. It means developing our lives in ways that reflect responsibility and purpose.
Being fruitful and multiplying can take many forms. For some, it may include entering into a good marriage, raising children in love, and building strong families. For others, it may mean creating ideas, solutions, and innovations that serve humanity. And for many people, it may include both.
Co-creating with God also means using our intellect, imagination, and abilities to solve problems. When we create something that improves life for others, we generate value, and value multiplies.
God did not create us to live in lack or live powerless lives.
Within each of us is the capacity to multiply what we have been given.
So, a simple question becomes important: What do you already have in your hands?
The Parable of the Talents
Jesus illustrated this principle through the parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14–30).
In the story, a master entrusted different amounts of talents to three servants; ten talents, five talents, and two talents. Two of the servants used what they received and multiplied it. One servant buried his talent in the ground.
The lesson is simple.
How are we using what we have been given? What talents, abilities, and gifts do we possess, and how are we using them? What opportunities are already present in our lives?
Fulfilling God’s purpose often looks like becoming a blessing to others.
In my own life, I recognize that I am a good orator. I am able to motivate people through personal or public speaking. When I speak, I aim to speak life into others and encourage them to become the best version of themselves. In doing so, I fulfill a part of my purpose.
Purpose can also be fulfilled in many other ways. If I become a mother, whether by adoption or by birth, and raise a child with love and care, that too is God’s purpose fulfilled.
If I find ways to develop and utilize my skills and abilities, create value, and build financial stability, that is also part of fulfilling purpose.
The ability to use those gifts and become a blessing to others is essentially Kingdom living. When we do this, we are fulfilling purpose, even if we never experience a dramatic or specific calling. It would be great to have the Samuel encounter where I experience God’s call for my life and how I will affect nations.
Discovering Purpose Through What Is Already Within
When I sought God personally and asked, “What is Your purpose for my life?” the answer continually led me to the same place: the Scripture, the Kingdom, and the gifts and abilities God has already placed within me.
Purpose is often revealed through the passions and characteristics within us.
When I look at the people in the Bible who changed nations or faithfully served their families, I see this pattern clearly. Moses had a concern for his people from a young age. Mary was a meek young woman who demonstrated humility and willingness to obey God’s will (Exodus 2:11–12, Luke 1:38).
Those inner traits prepared them for the roles God placed before them. In many ways, the answer to “why” has always been embedded in the nature of each person. Seeking the Kingdom did not lead me to something far away. It brought me back to what had been placed within me all along.
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