Where is Your Mountain Top?

“What do you want to be when you grow up?”

As a child, I was asked this question over and over and over again. The question has always haunted me. It is only recently I can securely answer this question. The question symbolizes a much deeper question. The deeper question is: “What is my purpose?”

I have spent my life trying to be someone I am not. Trying on someone else’s mold, I wanted to fit. I tried on many molds. Instead of looking for my purpose, I wanted to do things to prove I could, or because I admired someone else in the field.

As it turns out, none of these molds fit me. I found myself sapped of energy day after day. I proved I could do anything I worked hard to accomplish. However, I discovered this is not the end goal. Just because I looked great in someone else’s mold, doesn’t mean I belonged there.

So often I see people in high profile positions who have not yet discovered their passion or purpose. How do I know? I know because they look sad or “mission-less”. They finally made it to the top only to discover it wasn’t the mountain top they wanted to climb. Oops!

I have had several successes myself. I have had the lime-light and had people flock around to admire my achievements. Once on top, I looked around and realized,

“Wait a minute, this isn’t my purpose.”

Down the mountain I go, only to climb another mountain. Lately, I have purposefully sat in the valley. Why? I have sat in the valley, because I needed to figure out what mountain to climb.

However, this time I am climbing it differently. Instead of analyzing the mountains based on my own insight, I ask God. I have prayed and asked him which mountain-top He wants me to climb. What is His purpose for my life? Where do my passions and heart’s desires lie? How can the answers to these two questions be part of the same goal and purpose for my life?

I have chosen my mountain-top. I know the destination and I have a firm footing on the goal. As I climb the mountain, I am always looking up. He is my guiding light. I no longer desire climbing a mountain unless it is one He wants me to climb. The other mountains were good, but I only want to climb the very best – God’s best.