Lost or Wandering? It's Time to Turn on Your Flashlight.

As I mentor and coach executives, I see many of them running here and there, trying to find themselves. I have a friend who has gone from job to job. And as I have listened to him, he has sounded increasingly bitter, opinionated, angry, hateful and hurtful. He went through a recent relationship breakup. I believe that these are signs that he is truly lost.

I see it in organizations as I consult with them. They keep turning in different directions because leadership does not know who they are and where they are going personally. And this transcends into the organization in many ways. For me, as I analyze this, it all goes back to one thing. If you don’t know who you are, how do you know what to look for? And how do you know when you have found yourself, since you don’t know what you are looking for.

A while ago, I was on a frog hunt at my lake house with my grandson. It was a full moon, so it was quite easy to find our way in the woods. It was easy to catch the frogs, put them in a bucket for a while and then later turn them loose. While we were walking and searching my grandson said, "God has his flashlight turned on to show us the way.” So, my instant thought was this—is this just a metaphor or does God truly shine his light to let us know the way we should go?

Perhaps, God has already given you a destiny; a divine reason for being. But our purpose is to fulfill it and to live it to its fullest. And when we don’t, we are unfulfilled, lost, angry, or just plain apathetic. If we are not fulfilling His purpose in our life, we might post more angry posts, change our job, shop for more things, watch more television, or worst of all, break other relationships. Our life will feel disconnected from God’s purpose for our life. Not only that but we will not feel valuable because we won’t be satisfying our deep desire to fulfill our destiny. And without living out our destiny, we are settling for less than we are truly worth. God has assigned a value to each of us, but until we live our life for the purpose he intended, we will be trapped in a meaningless existence, running from here to there.

Many people today struggle to see their destiny. They spend so much time looking for “the plan." They spend so much time looking for their purpose and calling, they forget where it all originates. It originates with God himself. It is so simple for my grandson. God has his flashlight turned on.

So, don’t go around constantly searching for your destiny. Go searching for God. Deepen your relationship with him. Spend time with Him. He is the connection we need because He already knows what we need to know. He knows the path, and He is shining His flashlight on it. And as we connect with Him as our source for all things, we will tap into the full force of our purpose. With His wisdom and guidance, we can fulfill the reason we were put here on earth.

One of the reasons so many leaders are lost is that they personally are driving in the wrong lane. They are operating in lanes of life that were never intended for them. They operate in a purpose that was never designed for them. All exits are good exits, but not all exits are your exits. Not long ago I drove on an express way in a major city. And I did not get off at an exit for no intended reason. I got off because it led to my intended destination. I took the exit that would lead me to where I needed to go. Many people miss their purpose because they take any old exit that comes along. We should take the entrance or exit that leads us to our destiny, purpose, or our calling.

One of the ways to get your calling in clearer perspective is to take an inventory. And the objective is to combine our vision with our passion. If there is something on your heart that burdens you or evokes strong emotions, ask God if it is connected to your vision and your destiny. Now, you must be very careful with this. Passion and vision are two things that God gives us in order to motivate us for a sustained calling. But if it involves spreading hate, disrespect and other things that are not of God, on social media or at your company, you are likely taking the wrong entrance or exit. God shines the flashlight out of the darkness.

Once you jump into your purpose and start on the path toward your destiny, you may notice that not every day is a skip down the yellow brick road. I am speaking from multiple decades of experience! Each hour does not contain exciting adventures to explore and conquer (like frog hunting!). Passion and vision are gifts from God to motivate you through these times. They are the wind that give your wings the ability to soar and give you the strength to keep going through the mundane and tedious times. But it does give you motivation to stay focused because it is all connected to your purpose, destiny and vision given to you by God.

Is God shining his light on your expressway?

If not, perhaps you should spend some time with Him. If I can help you, set up a meeting with me. If you know someone who could use this right now, please share it with them.