What’s God’s Will For A Single Mom?

Question to O. A.:   I’m a 28-year-old single Christian mom, and it seems that I don’t do anything but work and tend to my kids.   Does God have a greater purpose for my life?   P. Z. in West Virginia.

Dear P. Z.:   Of course, raising your children and working are part of God’s will for your life.   However, since you feel a need for something more, then God does have something more for you.

     You’re feeling stress now.   But let me prove what I just said by going back in history.   Over 3,000 years ago, King David of Israel sang a song to God.   It went like this:

          “You saw me before I was born.   Every
          day of my life was recorded in Your Book
          before a single day of it had passed.”[1.  King David sang about his days in Psalm 139:16.]

     Think about those words a moment.  Later, Paul, the early Christian writer, explained God’s will more fully with these words:

          “We’re God’s handiwork, created in Christ
          Jesus to do good deeds that God prepared
          in advance for us to do.”[2.  Paul wrote about good deeds in Ephesians 2:10.  The Greek noun for “deeds” is ergon (“err’-gaan”), meaning all types of actions, things done, accomplishments of the mind, handicrafts, art, and industries.]

     Think about those words a moment, too.  But, what are the good deeds that God wants us to do in the days of our lives?   How do we discover what they are?   John, another early Christian writer, gave us this key:

          “You received the Holy Spirit and He lives
          in you.   So you don’t need anyone to teach
          you (about God’s will or anything else)
          because the Holy Spirit will teach you every-
          thing you need to know.”[3.  John describes the Holy Spirit teaching us in First John 2:27.  The Living New Testament paraphrase is being used here.]

     As Christians, the Holy Spirit can teach us our greater purpose in life.   All we need to do is pray for Him to reveal it, and then be patient and sensitive to His guidance as He does so.

     Also remember that another role of the Holy Spirit is to fill us with positive emotions.   Christians call these the “fruit of the Spirit.”   They include such things as supernatural love, joy, peace, patience, and kindness.   This means that one of the purposes of our lives is to express these positive emotions in our families and among our friends and coworkers.   Thus, Christians are intended to live balanced lives:  They’re supposed to do good deeds – and they’re supposed to be filled with good emotions as they do those good deeds.

     To summarize, the Holy Spirit can reveal your greater purpose.   And He can fill you with peace as you pursue it.   You’re doing parts of your purpose now.   But the Spirit may need to tweak your direction a little.   Pray for Him to tweak it, and to fill you with supernatural guidance and joy.   Always remember:  The Holy Spirit wants to reveal your greater purpose just as much as you want to know it.