5 Steps to Finding New Meaning in Your Life

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens. Ecclesiastes 3:1

Have you recently had a change of seasons in your life? Perhaps, like me, an empty nest is on the horizon. Death or divorce has recently thrown some of you into a new season of life. Maybe you just finished a season of education and have now been tossed into the workforce for the first time. Or perhaps you have made a significant career change. Some of you may find yourself relocated to a new state or type of home life.

The one thing I know remains constant in life is that change is always coming for us. We need to be able to pivot and readjust our mindset. If you find yourself feeling lost and out of place, perhaps you will be open to searching for new meaning and purpose in your life.

What is the purpose of life?

For this devotion, we are going to use Richard Leider’s definition of purpose: “Our purpose is who we are and what makes us unique, why we’re here. It’s a source of direction and energy. It’s what gives our lives meaning.”

There will be times in our lives where we have to reinvent ourselves before we can move into the next season of life. This is no easy task, but we must put in the work to find new meaning in our lives.

By looking at the following areas of our life, we will be able to sort out and find what is meaningful to us.

• Values – What you believe
• Strengths – What you are good at
• Interests – What you enjoy doing
• Service – Who you want to help

My purpose is to encourage women to find peace and grace in Christ Jesus, to inspire women to live authentic (not perfect) lives, and to point them to Jesus to heal and beautify their brokenness. I can’t begin to express how powerful this statement feels for me. It is who I am and why I am here. By declaring my purpose, I am living my values, using my strengths, and enjoying what is of interest to me. As a bonus, I am helping others by being my true self.

A season for every activity under the heavens.

My season took a drastic change a few years ago. My boys became young men, my job changed, and my heart took a hit. I had a choice. I could freeze and let these changes stall my life or flee into unhealthy habits. Or I could acknowledge the things around me were changing and pivot, allowing the changes to propel me into a new purpose in my life.

I want to share with you five practical steps I took to find new meaning in my life.

• Don’t live a life dictated by others. My mother-in-law recently became a widow. My heart hurts for her as she grieves, and I want to offer help. I recently suggested she consider getting a dog to help. Luckily, my mom-in-law is good at knowing what works for her in her grieving process and kindly explained why she did not want to get a dog at this time. She is making a healthy choice to live a life not dictated by others.

We need to be brave enough to forge our own paths in this journey to purpose. It is important to not compare your journey to somebody else’s. God has created us all with unique values, strengths, and interests. As you search for new meaning, put your steps through our test of Values/Strengths/Interests/Service.

• Live outside of your comfort zone. If your life-purpose were within your comfort zone, you would not be on this journey. If you make a habit of staying within your comfort zone, you probably froze when life changes scared you. But we grow in our values when we face our fears. We become stronger when we let God stretch us. Our interests become more attractive when we allow them to change. You will serve others well when you are acting courageously.

• Learn what brings you joy.  I had not written a devotion, a personal essay, a poem, or even a letter, in years. But as I explored the discipline of journaling, I found joy in this new endeavor. Had I ignored that small spark of joy which ignited as a tiny flicker with journaling, I would have missed out on learning the joy I find in writing.

• Let the Holy Spirit guide you.  I promise your soul will know when it has found its true home. You will experience passion, peace, and pleasure. God’s favor on your life evokes an extraordinary peace that encourages you to do what God is leading you to, even if you are scared and living out of your comfort zone.

Presbyterian minister E. Paul Hovey says:

“Jesus promised His followers that ‘The Strengthener’ would be with them forever. This promise is no lullaby for the faint-hearted. It is a blood transfusion for courageous living.”

• Serve out of your overflow. Remember the test we started with? If you have found purpose in a place that matches your values and uses your strengths to do something you enjoy, you will have an overflow. This is what we serve others from. The ministry of Beautifully Broken was birthed out of the overflow of God’s purpose for this season of my life. And as I allow Him to expand my comfort zone, I know He will continue to stretch and grow me for His purposes.

Changing Seasons

So, if you have found yourself amid a changing season, feeling maybe a little lost and wondering what is next, I recommend you take steps to pivot and move into your new meaning of life. I have experienced such joy from living out a new adventure and following a dream I didn’t even know I had. I hope you have a similar experience and are living the best life ever. Please share with us in the comments if you are in a season of seeking or if the Holy Spirit has led you to new meaning in life!

Heavenly Father, sometimes life changes around us, and we have no choice but to change. I pray that we learn to pivot and embrace, with joy, new meaning and purpose in our lives. Bless us with knowing our value, strengthen us by teaching us how to live outside of our comfort zones, and inspire us to seek new interests. We pray for an overflow we can use to serve the Kingdom of God. In Jesus’ name. Amen.