Week One: Our Shared Purpose

Scripture Reading

Ephesians 1 and 2

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Today’s Truth

Purpose begins with belonging to God before it becomes assignment from God.

I was saved as an adult, even though for a long time, I thought I already was. I had a little bit of church background. I knew enough words to sound familiar with faith, but underneath it all, my theology was pretty simple: try to be good, do the right thing, go to church, and try harder for God. That was the gospel I thought I understood.

Then I met Lance.

When we started dating, we had long conversations about life, faith, Scripture, and all the things you probably should not debate too early in a relationship, but of course, we did. As we got to know each other, we started talking through some serious things, and what frustrated me most was that he always seemed to have Scripture to back up what he believed. And I did not like that. Because I do not like being wrong.

So, honestly, I started reading the Bible out of spite. I wanted to know what this book actually said. I wanted to be able to argue back. I wanted to have my own right answers.

But over the next few months, the Lord began doing what only He can do. He started stripping away the belief system I had built. Slowly and mercifully, He showed me that I had never really understood salvation at all.

What I came to see in Scripture was that salvation was not something I could earn. It was not something I could achieve by trying harder, doing better, going to church more, or becoming more religious. Salvation was grace. Completely grace. And the only way to receive it was by faith. Not by striving. Not by performing. Not by proving I was good enough. Because I never could be.

So before we begin talking about purpose we need to understand this, because if we misunderstand grace, we will misunderstand purpose too.

If we believe God’s love is something we have to earn, then purpose will always feel like pressure. We will try to do enough, serve enough, be useful enough, be needed enough, to become enough. We will take every conversation about calling and subconsciously turn it into another way to prove ourselves. But Scripture starts somewhere different.

Scripture does not begin with us trying to discover who we are by looking inward. Scripture begins with God.

Genesis tells us that we were made in the image of God. [Genesis 1:26-27]

That means our purpose begins before our productivity. Before Adam and Eve had work to do, they belonged to God. Before there was assignment, there was relationship. Before there was fruitfulness, there was identity. They were created by God, for God, and made to reflect Him. That is where biblical purpose begins.

Colossians tells us that all things were created through Christ and for Christ. [Colossians 1:16]

So if all things were created through Him and for Him, then our lives cannot be properly understood apart from Him. We do not invent a purpose and then ask God to bless it. We receive purpose from the One who created us, redeemed us, and holds all things together.

That is very different from the way our culture often speaks about purpose. Modern culture says, “Look within.” Scripture says, “Look to the One who made you.”

And that’s important, because when we start with ourselves, purpose can quickly become exhausting. We start wondering if we are missing it, wasting it, falling behind, or failing to become the version of ourselves we were supposed to be. But when we start with God, purpose becomes something we receive before it becomes something we walk out.

That is why Ephesians is such a beautiful place to begin. Paul does not open this letter by telling believers what they need to do for God. He begins by reminding them what God has done for them in Christ.

In Ephesians 1, Paul reminds believers that they are blessed in Christ, chosen in Christ, adopted through Christ, redeemed through His blood, forgiven by His grace, included in Christ, and sealed with the promised Holy Spirit. [Ephesians 1:3-14]

Chosen.

Adopted.

Redeemed.

Forgiven.

Included.

Sealed.

Before Paul gives instructions, he gives identity. Before he moves into good works, gifts, marriage, family, work, or spiritual warfare, he roots the people of God in what is already true because of Christ.

Many of us have learned to define purpose by usefulness. We feel purposeful when people need us. We feel purposeful when we are productive. We feel purposeful when our calendars are full, our hands are busy, our children are thriving, our homes are functioning, our work is noticed, or our service is visible.

But Ephesians pulls us back to something deeper. You are not purposeful because people need you. You are not purposeful because you are productive. You are not purposeful because you have a title, a platform, a ministry, a clear calling, or a full calendar.

You have purpose because you belong to God, so that is where we have to begin.

For me, this has not always been easy to live out.

After I was saved, something in me came alive. I started reading, learning, and devouring everything I could. I had a teaching background in elementary education, so naturally, I poured that into children’s ministry. I taught Sunday School. I led GAs. I directed AWANA for the primary grades. I helped with VBS. I chaperoned youth camps. If there was a place to teach, serve, lead, or help children know the Word, I wanted to be there.

Then we moved to Liberty, and life slowed down a little because I had a fifteen-month-old and a newborn. But even then, I was still teaching in the ways I could. I also started leading a little group called Moments for Moms because, honestly, I needed a moment. I needed a place where women could breathe, talk, pray, and remember they were not alone in the middle of the beautiful chaos.

It was during that season that the Lord first prompted me to share my writing. So I did.

I created a blog and started putting words out there. Quietly, imperfectly, with all the nervousness that comes from letting people see something that had been living inside me. Then one Sunday at church, our pastor stopped me to encourage me. He told me I was an excellent writer. And that stopped me cold.

He read my blog?

I felt so seen. And instead of feeling brave, I panicked.

I never posted again.

Looking back, I can see it so clearly. The very thing I had prayed for, the very encouragement that should have strengthened me, scared me. Being seen touched something tender in me. It made the calling feel real, and real felt risky. So I put it down.

Then in 2014, a marriage crisis hit. I did not know it at the time, but God was shifting my ministry. He was changing the season. For a couple of years, it was survival. Ministry did not look like organized programs, lesson plans, or sign-up sheets. Ministry became much quieter. It was in my home. It was in my heart. It was in the hidden places where God was rebuilding what I could not fix.

As I began to emerge from that season, it became clear that God was calling me toward women’s ministry. But that was harder to navigate. Children’s ministry had clear lanes. There were classrooms, curriculums, programs, schedules, and obvious places to serve. Women’s ministry did not feel as clear to me. I did not know where to start. Who do I begin with? How do I put myself out there? How do I obey this call without forcing something open in my own strength?

So I tried some things… Some worked. Some failed. Some taught me. Some humbled me.

This calling has been something I accepted, then put back down. Picked up again, then questioned. Walked toward, then wandered into the wrong lane. And then, by the grace of God, picked back up with a little more surrender than before. Eventually, I went to ministry school because I wanted to grow in communication, biblical understanding, and pastoral leadership. But somewhere between that season and this group, I hit a wall.

There were things God was working on in me that I could not fully see at the time. Looking back now, I can see that He was preparing me in the quiet. He was refining me. He was not wasting me. But I can also see something else.

In that quiet season, I had put my calling down again. And somewhere along the way, I became so immersed in my kids’ sports dreams that I stopped asking the Lord what He was calling me to steward in that season. I was helping them pursue what was in front of them, but I had quietly stepped away from what God had placed in my own hands.

And I want to say that carefully, because our children are absolutely part of our calling. Motherhood is holy work. Showing up for them matters. Supporting their gifts matters. Driving to practices, cheering from the sidelines, helping them grow, praying over who they are becoming, all of that matters.

Good things can become idols when they take the place only God was meant to hold.

And sometimes fear does not just look like hiding in the corner. Sometimes fear looks like staying busy with everyone else’s purpose so we never have to face our own. That is hard to admit, but it is true.

Then from that quiet place, God began prompting me to bring my writing back out. He prompted me to share again. And as I shared, that old calling began calling again. That is part of what birthed this group. And honestly, this group has been such a blessing to me. Opening the Word with you, creating space for honest conversation, watching the Lord meet us in ordinary places, it keeps confirming something deep in my spirit.

This call to lead women just keeps calling.

So when I began thinking about a study on purpose, I was not thinking about purpose in a vague, self-help kind of way. I was not thinking about chasing dreams, building platforms, or finding a prettier version of our lives. I was thinking about it because I needed to understand biblically where my lane is. I needed to ask the Lord how to walk out this calling according to His will, with boldness, humility, and obedience.

And then I wondered if maybe I was not the only one.

• Maybe there is another woman who does not know her purpose because she does not know grace yet. She is still trying to earn what only Jesus can give.
• Maybe there is another woman who does not understand her purpose because she has never really understood why she was created. She has spent years trying to build her own kingdom while wondering why she still feels restless.
• Maybe there is another woman who has heard the call, but ignored it because of fear. She put it down. She forgot about it. She decided it was too late, too small, too selfish, too unclear, or too risky.
• Maybe there is another woman who has spent years helping everyone else walk in their purpose, especially her children, while quietly wondering if there is still something God placed in her hands too.

That is why we are doing this study.

In Ephesians 2, Paul reminds believers that apart from Christ, we were dead in our sins. Not slightly confused. Not spiritually underdeveloped. Not simply needing a better plan. Dead. [Ephesians 2:1-3] Then comes the mercy of God.

Because of His great love, God made us alive with Christ. He saved us by grace. He raised us up with Christ. He showed us kindness we could never earn. [Ephesians 2:4-7]

And then Paul says plainly that we are saved by grace through faith. This is not from ourselves. It is the gift of God. [Ephesians 2:8-9]

That means purpose does not begin with proving ourselves to God. It begins with being made alive by God.

Only after Paul establishes grace does he tell us we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. [Ephesians 2:10]

That verse holds two essential truths together: we are saved by grace, and we are created for good works. The order matters.

We do not do good works to earn God’s love. We do good works because we have already received it. In Christ, we are made alive by grace and invited to walk in the works God has prepared for us. [Ephesians 2:8-10]

This is the foundation of our shared purpose.

Before purpose becomes personal, it is shared. Before it becomes specific, it is rooted in what is true for every believer: we belong to God, we exist for His glory, and we are called to love Him, love others, and reflect His goodness in the world.

Jesus summarized this calling as loving God and loving our neighbor. [Matthew 22:37-39]

Peter reminds believers that they are God’s chosen people, called to declare His praises. [1 Peter 2:9]

As we move through this study, we will explore how God uniquely gifts and calls His people. But we begin here: We are His. Saved by grace. Made new in Christ. Created for the good works He has prepared.

That is not pressure. It is an invitation to receive and walk in what God has already planned.

Purpose does not begin with striving. It begins with grace.

That is the heart behind Created on Purpose.

Over the next few weeks, we are going to study purpose through the lens of Ephesians. We are going to begin with who we are in Christ. Then we will look at the good works God prepares for His people, the gifts He gives to build up the body, and the ordinary places where calling often unfolds.

My prayer is that this study would not make any woman feel pressured to do more.

My prayer is that it would help us pay attention.

Pay attention to the gifts we have dismissed.

Pay attention to the fears we have excused.

Pay attention to the burdens that keep returning.

Pay attention to the places where God may already be working through us in ways we have overlooked.

Because every one of us has a story.

Some of us have lived a long time trying to be good enough, strong enough, useful enough, needed enough, or impressive enough. Some of us have carried gifts quietly because we were afraid to be seen. Some of us have buried callings because they felt selfish. Some of us have poured so much into everyone else’s calling that we forgot to ask God what obedience looks like in our own lives.

And some of us may simply be tired.

So we are not going to force big answers. We are not going to try to solve our whole life calling in one conversation. We are simply going to begin with open hands and honest hearts.

Where have fear, striving, or comparison kept you from walking freely with God?

Where have you sensed God inviting you to trust Him more deeply?

What is one ordinary gift, desire, burden, or place in your life that you are willing to bring before Him this fall?

This is where we begin… with grace.

Because fear buries what grace invites us to steward.

And this fall, we are asking the Lord to help us stop hiding what He has placed in our hands.

Not for our glory.

For His.

Freebie

I created a cut-out Scripture page to go along with this study, with four key verses from Created on Purpose for you to keep close as you walk through Ephesians. You can tuck them in your Bible, place them on your mirror, keep one in your car, or set one somewhere you will see it often.

These verses are meant to help you remember what Scripture says about who you are in Christ, how deeply you are rooted in His love, how He has graced you to serve, and how He invites you to walk in the good works He prepared for you.

You can find this free printable inside The Reset Room. Just join below, and I’ll send it straight to your inbox.