Living on Purpose

This is part two of a series about Vannen and his wife, Eleanor (read part one). Vannen was admitted to hospice at age seventy-three with end-stage Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease. In part one, we read how a vague and languid definition of love, one lacking force, enthusiasm, and animation; leaves us without a clear purpose or intent. We witnessed Vannen’s love for Eleanor, when he laid a path of 424 concrete blocks from the house to their fish pond so Eleanor, who had “bad ankles”, could walk there on level ground. When I commented on the enormity of the job, Eleanor just smiled and declared, “He loves me!” You see, Vannen loved Eleanor “on purpose”. He was “benevolently intentional” and “intentionally benevolent”. He knew what brought her joy and cared enough to do something about it. He was dedicated to her highest good. This is real love.

Living “on purpose” has applications and rewards for all our relationships, roles and responsibilities. Here’s a story, in Eleanor’s words, that illustrates my point: “About two months after we both got saved, Vannen asked me, ‘How would you feel about going down to the church at Eifort? I asked Vannen, ‘Why would you want to do that?’ He said, ‘Well, the church here in Oak Hill has plenty of help, but the church at Eifort doesn’t have much help.’” Eleanor reflected, “Vannen had a way of looking ahead. He never got excited. He thought things

Eleanor continued, “It wasn’t long before Vannen became deacon at the church at Eifort…He maintained the building and oversaw the building projects…Vannen could fix anything…and he even filled in and taught when the pastor was out.” Eleanor has also been the church secretary and clerk for over 40 years. She added, “When we didn’t have a piano player, I thought I’d take piano lessons. I thought I would just learn enough notes to play, but when I told the teacher what I wanted to do, she took me straight to the song books.” Eleanor concluded, “I think the first thing a person should do after they get saved is to look for a job in the church.”

For the past week, I’ve been surveying the reasons why people attend their specific churches, including my own. Characteristic replies have been, “I like the teaching”, “I like the style of worship”, “I like the fellowship”, “The people are friendly”, or “I feel comfortable there”. Do you notice the distinct contrast between these reasons and Vannen and Eleanor’s purposes?

Now, let’s compare our reasons with some of God’s purposes for our attending church: “…for the equipping of the saints, for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ (the church)…according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of its self in love. (Ephesians chapter 4); “Let nothing be done through selfish ambition…Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.” (Philippians 2:1-4)

I’m reminded of the challenging words of President John F. Kennedy, “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.” Self-centeredly, many of us are asking, “What can my country, government, church, employer, school, spouse, parents, family or friends do for me?”

Against the south wall of Eleanor and Vannen’s kitchen, sits the old wooden deacon’s chair that Vannen sat in during church services for over forty years. Eleanor explained, “When we bought all new furniture for the church we brought this old chair home.” The word, “deacon” comes from a Greek word “diakonos”, which means “servant”. Vannen not only sat in the deacon’s chair, he fulfilled the commission.

I agree with the familiar quote that, “The unexamined life is not worth living”. I would add that the self-centered, accidental, casual, unintentional life is not worth living either. Therefore, let’s choose to live “on purpose”. Let’s discard our independent, competitive, demanding, possessive attitudes and assume a spirit of fellowship and cooperation. Let’s be “intentionally benevolent” and “benevolently intentional”. Let’s dedicate ourselves to the highest good of God and His creation. Let’s lean into the wind and discover the adventure, significance, and freedom our hungry hearts long for.

"For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.” (Jesus-Matthew 16:24-26) “Whoever desires to become great among you let him be your servant…Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” (Jesus-Matthew 20:26-28)

Read Part 3