One of my favorite things to do while I was pregnant with my first child was settle in and read about how she was developing inside me.  The book would describe my baby week by week, and would even use tangible, descriptive words to give me a better idea of how big she was:

Week 12: your baby is the size of a lime

Week 20:  your baby is the size of a banana

I found these portrayals a bit amusing, but it really did give me a better idea of her size and what organs were developing.

Of course, my thoughts would drift off to the unpredictabilities of motherhood and the excitement of holding her soon.  I felt, in some sense, that just by carrying her inside me, that I knew her.

What I knew so far about my baby was that she kicked more to party music on our television than classical music, to my surprise.  I knew she was going to be loved and would have a purpose and would be taught to love Jesus.

I knew all this while she was being formed.

Do you want to hear something incredible I heard this week that struck me?

God had a purpose for my baby even before she was FORMED!  God knew her, God set her apart, and God appointed her! (Jeremiah 1:5).  BEFORE… not WHILE.

That means, even before the formation of any heart valve, eyelid, or limb, God had a purpose for you.  Don’t ever let circumstances determine your purpose or your motivation.  You have been set apart. God not only knew you, but has determined your path, and it is for good!

Oswald Chambers said, “As Christians we are not here for our own purpose at all-we are here for the purpose of God, and the two are not the same.”

How will you fulfill God’s purpose for your life?  Live a life of purpose, because if you don’t live the abundant live that Jesus died for you to have, you will miss out on the blessings of this short time here on earth.  If you are struggling to know what your purpose is, simply ask God to reveal it, and he will.  He has already appointed you for something significant even before you were formed!

“The greatest tragedy is not death, but life with no purpose.”  Rick Warren

~Betsy