What Was I Made For?

At the start of each year, I often find myself asking one over-arching, weighty question: “What is my purpose here on earth?” January is typically a month ripe for self-reflection. It’s easy to feel the pull to look inward and meditate on what I can do better or how I can work harder to achieve a goal I set out to accomplish. Over the past four years, my goals have shifted—reshaped by growth, experience, and realizing what truly matters in life versus what’s simply noise.

 

The career ambitions I held tightly at 21 don’t look the same today as they did back then.

They’ve evolved with me.

Through this natural shift and maturity, I’ve had to give myself the grace to choose a path that values fulfillment over a hefty salary or the applause of LinkedIn colleagues. But still, there are moments when I glance around and wonder: Should I be doing more? Could I be doing more?

That nagging gap between what the world expects of me at 25 and where I am only seems to grow wider. This is the place in my mind where fear makes its mark and creeps in uninvited—fear of being “left behind” by my age group or missing out on the opportunities God has for me (like I can somehow mess up God’s plan).

 

And though I know life doesn’t follow a linear path, I can’t help but search for one.

Though I remind myself that no two journeys look the same, I still compare my messy middle to someone else’s polished highlights.

Though the dreams I clung to as a child have faded, replaced by the realities of adulthood, I still grieve the version of me I thought I’d become by now.

 

Because if I wasn’t made to climb the corporate ladder, get married and start a family at 25, or chase a dream that no longer fits—then what was I made for?

 

I’ve reflected on this question for some time, naturally turning to God’s Word for clarity. And sure enough, the simplicity of what I have been searching for is available as soon as I open the Bible from the very beginning–

It isn’t overcomplicated.
It’s not hidden in theoretical textbooks. 

It’s not strictly reserved for theologians to interpret.

In the very first chapter of the Bible, a truth speaks directly to the question I often wrestle with:

“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them” (Genesis 1:27).

God created us in His own image—not just any image, but His own. Knowing this gives us a level of identification. God takes ownership of what He creates. There’s excellent intricacy and intentionality when God created Man and Woman. This is why we truly find ourselves when we tap into our God-given identity.

Who I am and what I was made for weren’t an afterthought to God. Before God created mankind, he forged the Heavens and the Earth. He formed an abundant atmosphere and saw that “it was good.” God ensured everything He made was good before moving on to the next. He is and will always be the Definer of what is considered good. And on day six, after creating man, the capstone of God’s creation, He saw it was very good (Genesis 1:31)

As the creator, God has the right to define and judge what is good and not good. Right and wrong. True and false.

His approval over all establishes His sovereignty and authority. Therefore, everything He created is to be effective in serving His purpose.

This is a testament to God’s fathering nature and concern for all creation. From seeing that the oxygen Adam and Eve would breathe was left untouched and unaltered to the provision of fruitful trees and living creatures that would multiply according to their kind. Eden was a flourishing, evergreen environment lacking nothing. All needs were met inside the garden. The formation of Eden was for God’s creation to thrive inside the boundaries that God had set forth.

There is a careful keeping to God’s design. Harmonious balance exists when creation does what it was created to do. But the entrance of sin into the world opened the door for compromise, doubt,  and making deals with the devil.

This is why we are left short of breath and parched for water when we look to other sources for fulfillment or satisfaction. We can’t thrive in an atmosphere that wasn’t meant for us, and our thirst can’t be quenched without the Living Water intended for us to drink from. When we step outside the threshold established for our protection, we walk into environments with less favorable conditions.

This isn’t negligence on God’s part. Our desire for independence puts us at risk of falling out of the Father’s arms of safety. God knew exactly what Adam and Eve needed to survive and everything they did not. He knew them best because He molded them in His likeness.

Yet, we often believe the lie that we know better than God.

Our impulse to do what we’re told not to do can get us into trouble. (Paul mentions this fleshly struggle in Romans 7:15-20).

Our longing for more can leave us gambling away what we already have. 

We often covet power that isn’t ours to claim.

We crave control and autonomy.

When Adam and Eve were placed in the Garden of Eden, they lived under the Creator’s guardianship.

Their hearts were guarded.
Their innocence was maintained.
Their purity was protected.

They tasted the purest freedom.

 

The first humans had everything they could ever need. This is why Satan created a sense of uncertainty when he addressed Eve. He knew her vulnerability would produce hesitancy and skepticism.

 

His question, “Did God really say?” was designed to distort the truth and stir confusion. The Devil’s cunning manipulation of God’s Word, coupled with the enticement of our flesh, is the same tactic that works against us today. Satan works diligently to deceive us. His calculated deception has been devised to dilute what we know to be solidified in Truth and replace it with doubt.

Doubt that has us questioning God and His Word.

Doubt that has us underestimating ourselves and our abilities and unique gifts.

Doubt that has us ignoring the discernment of our Spirit and leaning on the feelings of our flesh instead.

 

The serpent’s approach exposed Eve’s susceptibility. Though she knew God’s command—to eat from any tree except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil—Satan cast question marks on God’s intentions, making the forbidden fruit appear desirable, even beneficial. Eve saw that the fruit was “good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom” (Genesis 3:6). She took and ate it, giving some to Adam as well.

 

Eve’s doubt, stoked by Satan’s lies, led to disobedience, which dismantled the dignity she and Adam once held. Their glory turned to guilt, and their sinlessness gave way to shame.

For the first time, they felt the need to hide from God.

This story of the Fall mirrors our struggles today. Though born into a fallen world, we are imparted with an innocence unblemished by others until we grow up.

Until we are met with mistrust by someone we love.

Until we become acquainted with the allure of sin and the affliction that it causes.

Until we become privy to the identity crises and the evil schemes that plague our Earth.

 

In 1 John 2:16-17, we’re reminded:

“For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.”

 

The fruit of the forbidden tree looked safe and appealing to Eve. Likewise, the world’s promises of success, wealth, and recognition often seem harmless and rewarding. But these pursuits, when not aligned with God’s will, leave us empty and detached from the Creator.

 

While we restlessly dream of who we might become after saying yes to enough opportunities, meeting the right people, or achieving worldly accolades, Satan is busy implementing ways to lead us astray. His ultimate goal is our detachment from God—a detachment that leads to spiritual death.

 

It’s crucial to understand who we are as created beings and who we are not. We are not self-sufficient. We cannot be like God in His omniscience or omnipotence. As Genesis 3:19 reminds us:

“For dust you are, and to dust you shall return.”

 

This truth humbles us, but it doesn’t diminish our value. Though we are made from dust, we are treasured by God. James 1:18 says, “Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of first fruits of His creatures.”

 

To understand our purpose, we must consider how deeply God treasures us. The Creator of the universe, who spoke the stars into existence and painted the skies with His glory, chose to exalt us above all creation. Despite the vastness of our galaxy and the majesty of the natural world, it is us—flawed, finite human beings—whom God treasures the most. We are not just another part of His creation but His workmanship, made anew by Christ for good works (Ephesians 2:10).

 

In the grand design of creation, we are the ones He has set apart, breathing His breath of life into us and marking us as bearers of His image. This distinction reflects the deep, personal relationship God desires to have with each of us.

 

It’s easy to get caught up in the world’s labels and expectations—those stamps of approval handed out by voices that lack the authority to define us. The only mark that truly belongs in our identity is the one given by our Maker.

 

Front to back, the Bible reveals an extraordinary love that reaches from Creation to Calvary. The same love that formed us in our mothers’ wombs is the same love that died for us on the Cross. So, when I ask, “What was I made for?” I find confidence in this: 

 

I was made to worship my Creator, for all creation relies on God, who depends on nothing. As Revelation 4:11 reminds us, “You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and by Your will they exist and were created.”

 

Just as the heavens and earth display God’s majesty in Psalm 19:1: “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament shows His handiwork,” I was made to declare and reflect the glory of God with my life, my words, and my actions.

Everyone who is called by My name,

Whom I have created for My glory;

I have formed him, yes, I have made him. (Isaiah 43:7)

I was made to praise Him, for praise is beautiful from the upright (Psalm 33:1).

I was made for good works, to share Christ’s love and truth with the world (Ephesians 2:10)

I was made to remember Jesus’ sacrifice on the Cross, as He instructed us, “Do this in remembrance of Me” (1 Corinthians 11:23-26).

 

And as demonstrated for us by Jesus during His time on Earth, I was made to love others as Christ has loved me. John 13:34-35 speaks to this calling: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you… by this, all will know that you are My disciples.”

 

Even in our wanderings and strivings, we can rest in the hard truth that God is who we were made for. Admitting this brings an unshakable peace that reassures us that even when we falter or lose our way, we can always be drawn back to the One who created us.