What is God’s purpose for my life? How will living for my purpose transform me? And how can I use my purpose to enact positive change in our world? These are the sort of questions the Andrews community was asked to reckon with last week during the annual Week of Spritual Emphasis (AKA Week of Prayer). As a Seventh-day Adventist institution, faith is the foundation of Andrews University’s commitment to holistic education. As a way of starting the academic year with spiritual revival, the Andrews community set aside an hour a day for worship, praise, and connection with God. This year, the theme for Week of Prayer was “Be Unstoppable,” and focused on discovering and enacting God’s purpose in each of our lives. In a series of programs throughout the week, Pastor Taurus Montgomery, leader of the Harbor of Hope Group in Benton Harbor, explored ideas of identity, purpose, and direction within a Christian framework, and attempted to inspire each student at Andrews to discover their God-given purpose.
In Monday’s program, Pastor Taurus set up his discussion for the week with a dive into his personal spiritual journey. He described his upbringing in a broken home, and how hopeless and purposeless his life was. While sharing his testimony, Pastor Taurus consistently pointed out how he didn’t seek God to be present in his life to guide him. He said that without God, we might think our lives are in good shape, but that if we aren’t living out God’s will for our lives, we aren’t living up to our potential. Perhaps one of the more striking things about Monday was when Pastor Taurus said that the best thing that ever happened to him was when his house burned down. In saying this, Pastor Taurus was explaining how God used a disaster to cause him to reevaluate his life and his priorities, and how that ultimately landed him back on the right path.
On Tuesday, the service took an unexpected turn. Rather than deliver a message, Pastor Taurus gave an emotional plea for those who feel lost and without an identity to come to the front in a rather unorthodox call to the altar. He asked for anyone who feels as though they are not in alignment with God’s purpose to come forward to spend time in prayer and rededication to God. A sizable group came to the front, and many made a decision to examine their lives and allow the Holy Spirit to guide them.
On Wednesday, Pastor Taurus began to lay out his ideas on how to discover God’s purpose. He introduced two vital components of turning one’s life around: believing God’s promises and processing one’s pain. He said that when someone’s life is going in the wrong direction, it can feel very hopeless. But a very important part of the restoration process is having hope. And as Christians, Pastor Taurus said, our hope comes from God. Believing that God will keep His promises is the way to ignite a spark of passion to follow God’s plan for our lives. The other aspect he discussed was addressing our pains and traumas. All too often, when we find ourselves at a dead end, we leave the painful experiences that led us to that situation unaddressed, and find restoration impossible. As difficult as it is, Pastor Taurus said, we need to let God help us face our pain in order to live the way He wants us to.
Thursday was a bit of a deviation from the regular Week of Prayer routine, as it was Andrews’ annual Change Day. All classes were canceled so that students could participate in a service project to give back to the community. Projects ranged from painting fire hydrants in St Joseph to picking up garbage along the highway. In addition to being a welcome break from class, Change Day was an amazing opportunity for students to change the world through service.
Finally, on Friday, the Andrews community received a double blessing with both a morning service and a vespers. The former tied the week up nicely with the third component to discover God’s purpose: finding our gift. Like in the parable of the talents, God has given each of us many gifts to use for Him. Once we have been inspired by the hope God gives and processed the pain we have experienced, we are able to identify the way in which we are best fit to serve God. Pastor Taurus told a couple of stories to illustrate how he discovered writing was his gift. The three principles discussed — God’s promises, our own pain, and the gifts God has given us — form a road map of sorts, detailing how to get our lives back on track. Having completed his outline of purpose, Pastor Taurus gave one last address Friday evening, discussing friend circles. That night, he painted a picture of an “unstoppable friend” — someone who will encourage you as you strive to fulfill God’s purpose for your life. A good, godly friend will challenge you to live to your fullest potential, and will be a spiritual anchor for your life. Friday night’s service was a call to reflect on our closest relationships, and ensure that they are all enhancing rather than sabotaging our lives. Ultimately, the Andrews community was given a challenge this week of prayer to live up to our fullest potential through God. Hopefully, we all will develop a clearer picture of our purpose this school year, and draw ever closer to achieving our God-given ideal.
The Student Movement is the official student newspaper of Andrews University. Opinions expressed in the Student Movement are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors, Andrews University or the Seventh-day Adventist church.