book Excerpt

I’m so excited to share a small section of the book with you! I can’t wait for you to have the book in your hands and read it in its entirety.

The following excerpt is from Chapter One…

“Clark and Cara were our sweet and quirky elderly neighbors. They had a pet parrot named Peaches and would hang their laundry on a line in the backyard. Clark would see me pull up with groceries and walk over almost every time to kindly carry them inside for me. When we brought home our second son from the hospital, Cara proudly brought over a bright orange hula hoop she had handmade for me using a pvc pipe decorated with washi tape. She told me she thought it would “be good exercise and help me get my waist back.” My newborn was just a few days old, so all I could do was laugh out loud and thank her. We still have that hula hoop today and my kids have enjoyed many years of playing with it. I, however, am not sure I ever did use it. 

Eventually, it came time for us to move, and our little family of four at the time was standing in the driveway saying goodbye to them. Cara began to share with us that ever since we moved in next door to them, there was an aura coming from our home that she couldn’t ever quite explain. I wrote down her exact next words because they moved me to tears, and still do. She said, “There has always been a strong peace that radiates from your home that drew me to want to get to know you. The only thing I can think of is that it must be the presence of God.” 

To hear from someone else that they sensed God in our family and that He permeated our home will probably always remain the most meaningful thing anyone could ever say to us. And yet we were far from perfect and certainly weren’t trying to impress anyone. I don’t even remember a single conversation about God. Even so, somehow they recognized God in us. 

Little did Cara know at the time, I was struggling immensely with finding my purpose in life. Unfortunately, I had grown up with a very narrow-minded definition of what “ministry” looked like. I thought it was defined by how many hours I spent at church or by my accomplishments—things that are seen by others. And tragically, this definition has been magnified in the complicated world of social media. So when my focus was forcibly shifted from “ministry” to raising children, my sense of purpose and self-worth was challenged.

I knew deep down in my heart there had to be a way I could be both an intentional mother and live life in such a way that God’s love and hope would radiate to those searching for something more. I refused to accept that God was bound by my current life season of motherhood. And yet I still felt like I was not living out my purpose “on the mission.” And yet hadn’t my neighbor somehow seen God in me? What made the difference?

To make a long story short, God eventually revealed to me that it was our everyday living that put him on display. I learned that there is more to “ministry” than our current church culture might have you believe.

Fast-forward to today, and I am now fully confident that my ministry is better defined by the radiant expression of my relationship with Jesus. In other words, when I am fully living in the calling and purpose that God has given me, my relationship with Jesus naturally shines like a bright star against the backdrop of a midnight sky. In that sense, living for God is not as complicated as we have made it out to be.

Now, I know what you’re thinking. “But how do I define my purpose?” Well, I’m glad you asked. I believe our purpose is found where our talents, burdens, and current life season collide.

I thought I had found my purpose. Then my life season changed, and I realized I wasn’t as grounded in Jesus as I had thought I was. I felt purposeless. That’s because if our purpose is rooted in our success, it is fragile and frail. But if our purpose is rooted in Jesus, and the person we are becoming in Him, our purpose is limitless. We will never lose our footing or doubt our purpose if it is rooted in God. So despite the ebb and flow of seasons and circumstances, our purpose never changes. We simply focus on the quality of life we lead and the character from which that life flows. And if our life exhibits the fruits of the Spirit out of a heart rooted in him, this brings glory to God. With that kind of posture, the sky is the limit in how he can work through us.

But there is also a patience and intentionality to finding our purpose. There is much to consider, and likely will not gain clarity overnight. In other words, it is not an event but a process. We have to lay before God our strengths, our life season, our spiritual gifts, and so much more. We must also consider the wisdom and insight of other people. Proverbs 20:5 says:

 “The purpose in a man's heart is like deep water, but a man of understanding will draw it out.” 

Another pitfall in finding our purpose is defining it by our roles such as office worker, church attender, or mother. Our purpose doesn’t change with our setting. Instead, we simply live in the overflow of God’s love for us and redirect that overflow into those around us. When we live in God’s love, our attitude and the quality of our work will inevitably point to something greater than ourselves—which is exactly what people are seeking. In other words, when we are the best version of ourselves, God can use us to shine His light to those around us. 

However, this takes intentionality—what I define as “making conscious choices that reflect what is most important to us.” But do our everyday choices reflect what is most important to us?

So many people are floundering and struggling. They are wandering through life with no clear direction. They are also often doing it by themselves. In a society that’s more digitally connected than ever, people are more lonely than ever. And discovering our purpose was never meant to be a journey taken alone.

My hope and prayer for this book, therefore, is to break down how and why we should live intentionally in real and practical ways and how that intentionality can lead to discovering our purpose. In fact, that’s part of our purpose. After all, there is a lost and hurting world that needs you and needs me. Our communities, neighbors, families, and co-workers are all being shaped by our testimony. The question is, what will that testimony be? And who does it point to—to ourselves or to God?”

Not so they see us, but through us, they can see Him.”

I hope you’ll read the whole book which will be available for purchase in less than three weeks! In the meantime, thanks for reading and following along with me.

On this journey with you,

Rachel