My dad and I had a yearly tradition of going to Ichthus together, a not-so-little weekend Christian concert in little (that one's true) Wilmore, KY. The event was put on by Asbury College (now University, and recently in the news for a nearly two-week 24/7 worship service - maybe you saw it. Maybe you went!). Though I have not been able to confirm Ichthus is where it came from (and my husband now refers to this as a "Heather Fact"), I believe one year the theme was "Live on purpose," which resonated with me and became a kind of undercurrent running through my life, popping back up now and then with a shout of "I need to do something with this!"
In 2008, Ichthus had a fish design on their weekend booklet that later became my first tattoo. A few years after that I started thinking maybe I could write a book, start a blog, something with that theme - living on purpose, being intentional. I started keeping ideas in my phone - things I heard that made me stop and think, or struck me in a particularly telling or shocking or new way. Things I wanted to mull over, wrestle with, get others' opinions on. I then met and married a man whose motto is "This is not your practice life!" which fits ever so neatly into my live on purpose life theme. Recently, my mom lit a fire under me, basically asking, "What the heck are you waiting for??" The very next day I got "Live on purpose" tattooed on my forearm. Maybe I needed the constant reminder to just START. So, fifteen years or so post initial exposure, I am finally bringing my dream of live on purpose to some sort of fruition. It may end up with 5 followers, all family members. But even so, a dream realized is a win.
So, if you are interested in reading about random things that struck my fancy and may strike yours, please join me. Living with purpose is a common theme we hear, but I prefer live ON purpose. You can live with intentionality in every moment, not just single-mindedly toward a particular goal. Fight apathy. Don't let days upon days slide by without recognition. What if we all learned to be intentional toward others, in every relationship, every chance meeting, every circumstance, on both the good days and the hard ones? What would that do to us as humans? Could we be better humans simply by being present? Truly present? Celebrating with intentionality, grieving with intentionality, loving and serving and respecting and sitting quietly with intentionality.
Living, not just
with a purpose or for a purpose, but ON PURPOSE.
Wonderful words!
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