Your Purpose In Life Is Two-fold

There are two kinds of meaning. One deals with the grand design for human life, the essence of our existence. At a micro level, this aspect of meaning deals with my life as a person. What is the purpose of my life, as an individual? This is what I have chosen to call Primary Purpose.

The other kind of meaning deals with our daily human experience. How do we make sense out of all that happen to us – the vast human suffering, pain, sickness, accident, delay, seemingly unanswered prayer, rejection and abuse? However, this type of purpose does not deal only with distressing things that happen to us. It also affects aspects of our daily human experiences that are good and even pleasant. For example, what meaning does my type of work hold for me and for the society? What is the essence of pleasure? Is there any meaning to wealth, marriage, leadership position and opportunities, for example? This kind of purpose, I call Secondary Purpose or Secondary Meaning.

No doubt, these are questions that plague humans irrespective of age, color or nationality. At some point or the other, all of us have thought about these questions. We live with them. In what ways do primary and secondary purposes resemble each other, and how do these two purposes differ from each other?

Too often, people tend to question the existence of a supreme God due to their inability to understand secondary purpose. How can there be a loving and all-powerful God if so much evil still exist in our world? How can I believe that God loves me if I still go through so much pain? But this kind of concern seems to me like putting the cart before the horse. Until we understand primary purpose, secondary meaning will likely elude us. Because we live in a world with many uncertainties, it often happens that we become more enamored with wanting to understand secondary purposes, instead of searching for the primary meaning of our lives.

Primary purpose deals with knowing who I am. Secondary purpose deals with understanding why certain things happen to me. In primary purpose, we understand who we are, where we came from, where we are returning at death, what we are here on earth to do or to be. Secondary purpose attempts to help us understand why certain things that don’t seem to fit the description of our primary purpose still happen to us, and what we can do about it.


Primary purpose deals with the big picture. Secondary purpose focuses on the individual details and seeks to align them with the big picture. The universe is far bigger than my little world. Primary purpose helps me understand that, as much as I am a very important part of it all, it’s not always about me.

Primary purpose tends to be same across the entire spectrum of human existence. Secondary purpose is mainly subjective and specific to individuals, and gloriously so.


Primary purpose is unchanging, consistent, and eternal. Secondary purpose reflects individual circumstances and so changes based on the individual and the conditions. In this sense, then, primary purpose does not change, but secondary purpose can change, and in fact, does change at various stages of our lives.

Primary purpose is concerned with the divine intent, the supreme goal of our being. Secondary purpose deals with plans, methods and strategies involved in achieving the supreme goal.'For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome.' God was quoted here by Jeremiah as saying that he knows what his intention was for Israel. But it also talked about plans ( series of sequential tasks arranged in order to achieve the goal). God’s intention for all mankind is the same, but how he helps each of us get there is vastly different.

In conclusion, secondary purposes tend to become clearer once we understand what the primary purpose is. Perhaps, the best individual investment is in finding out, embracing and pursuing ones primary purpose. Of course, there are no easy answers to life, but many concerns become easier to deal with when a person understands her primary purpose. In this way, secondary purpose may be viewed as the personal application of primary purpose to the daily details of human existence.

This blog does not claim to have all the answers to all of life’s difficult situations. But it does claim to help individuals discover their primary purpose in life. When you do, perhaps, just perhaps, it may then be possible to view life’s complicated circumstances from an entirely new and refreshing perspective.

If these posts help you in any way, let us know. Post a comment, send our link to your friends, or just send me a mail: francis@dicoverpurpose.net. Feel free to look around, you never know what you will find.

How To Distinguish Between Your Purpose And Your Assignment

What is purpose? When I say that I want to discover the purpose of my life or the meaning of my life, what exactly does that imply?

According to Merriam-Webster online dictionary, purpose has two meanings:
1 something that one hopes or intends to accomplish
2 the action for which a person or thing is specially fitted or used or for which a thing exists

So, from the dictionary meaning, it is clear that when the word ‘purpose’ is used, what readily comes to mind is ‘goal’, ‘role’, ‘mission’, ‘career’. These all describe one aspect of purpose or the other. However, these descriptive words involve something we want to accomplish or an activity for which we are best fitted. In short, these could best be described by the word, ‘assignment’. The search for meaning is something much deeper than a goal, a mission or a career. It involves all those, and more.

You and I know a lot of people who are engaged in jobs or careers that they love and are best fitted for; but are still search of something more, a meaning or purpose to their lives. So, then, there is a sense in which we use ‘purpose’ to refer to that original intent of God for human life. Who am I, really? What am I here for? Where did I come from, and at the end of this life, where am I going? In this, we see a yearning to understand the primary meaning of life, of individual existence. Purpose is about understanding the essence of life. In other words, purpose describes our collective search for meaning.

It is clear, then, that there is a difference between my life assignment and my life purpose. Both are related in many ways, but not exactly the same. Whereas Purpose deals with such fundamental questions as who am I and what am I here on earth for, Assignment deals with such question as what can I do to express or live out the very reason for which I am here?

Here are some tips to help you distinguish between purpose and assignment:

Purpose deals mainly with being, while assignment deals with doing. Both are important and necessary in the grand scheme of life, but until our focus changes from doing to being, we may never grasp the essence or meaning of life.

Purpose affects the very core of my person, while assignment is concerned with service to others. The discovery of purpose is transcendent, transforming and tranquil in its effect on my life as a person. On the other hand, discovery and pursuit of my assignment can certainly have an invigorating effect on me, but it has more impact on the lives of others. Purpose changes the individual who is called to change the world through his assignment.

Purpose asks, ‘Who are you relating to?’ Assignment asks, ‘what are you relating to?’ Discovery of purpose settles the issue of identity. The one who has found purpose knows he or she is related directly to God and to His people. So, his life is about cultivating a relationship with the One who is his Source and Sustainer, and also with the other members of the ‘family’. Discovery of assignment, especially for the one who has first found purpose, is about relating very well to the thing ( job, calling, career, gifting etc) that helps him the most to serve God and others.

Purpose is about living for Someone who is infinitely greater than we are, while Assignment is living for Something much bigger than we are. We find our purpose when we discover (or rather are found by) the One who loves us so much He gave himself for us. Meaning is tied to a loving relationship, especially, with the One who made us. Assignment is a sum total of the opportunities given to us to express our love and appreciation for God and the people He graciously put in our lives.

Someone can have an assignment without discovering the Divine purpose for the assignment, but it is difficult for one to discover his purpose without having an assignment that helps him express that purpose. So, assignment can exist without discovering purpose, but purpose can not truly exist without an assignment. Doesn’t the bible clearly teach that, on the Last Day, some people may have their works ( assignments, giftings, callings, philanthropy etc) burnt or destroyed because they did not carry them out with the right motive( purpose)? ‘If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.’( I Corinthians 3: 12-15)

In conclusion, our meaning comes from discovering and living our purpose, not from our assignments. Do you know what your purpose is? It's time to pursue, embrace and live your purpose. Visit my website www.discoverpurpose.net for more. And let your friends know about us.