Q:
Hey, Paige!

You say that I should not waste my life, and i dont want to but i dont know what to do with it. I am not sure what my purpose in life is and to be honest i feel useless. And sometimes my life (even as a Christian) is very boring. I want to know how to make it exciting almost all the time cause i am really bored with it. i hate to say that but its true.

if you dont mind, could you please help me? anything that you think could help

thanks~

Samantha*

(* name changed for privacy)

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A:

First of all... I so appreciate your honesty and the fact that you are even asking this question! The thought of wasting or not wasting your life can be a very overwhelming thing... for EVERYONE. It means realizing the preciousness of our lives, and living like we know it matters. While using the life we've been given is a HUGE passion on my heart, I certainly don't have all the answers. However, God has taught me some things along the way that I think can be a good start.

Ultimately, truly using your life in the way God intended starts with understanding your worth as a created child of God, and that your life itself has EXTREME value. If you understand those things alone, you will automatically live differently! Check out some verses about this in Psalms 139. Especially verses 13-16.

Also James 4:14 that talks about our lives being a mist.

Once we understand that we are SO valuable and have been hand picked and placed on this earth for a specific breath of time... we need to open our eyes to the gifts God has given us. Every single one of us has been given gifts to use (this doesn't just mean like singing, being good at sports or something like that) Gifts can mean being an encourager, a leader, a servant... ALL kinds of things! They actually have spiritual gifts tests you can take online if you'd be interested in seeing what some of the gifts you might have are!

For now, take a second to think about some of the things you may be good at or enjoy doing. Then think about some of the immediate needs around you. A sick friend, a hurting family, a local charity... is there any way you can combine what you love doing with any of these needs? Be creative about it! Maybe you can't think of anything off the top of your head... so pray about it! See what ideas God brings to your mind.

Thinking beyond just the needs right around you... what are some of the other needs that you see around the world? Even if they're HUGE like world hunger, you can still play an essential role in fighting it! Don't let the big things scare you!

This may seem overwhelming to you... maybe not. Regardless, talk to God about it. Tell Him that you are anxious to do something great for Him with your life and that you want Him to use you. Tell Him you're not really sure how to start or where to begin, but to open your mind to ideas and open doors where He wants you. He WILL take you up on it :)

** What do you all think are some cool ways we can use our life?