Praying for Purpose

My name is Mason Morland. I am currently a senior at Southern Methodist University. I am studying Accounting and English (a weird mix I know). For the last six months, I have also had the special opportunity to date Gracie Holder, and I am continually astonished by her many amazing qualities which many of you reading this have gotten to experience firsthand.

As I have been pondering what to write in this article, I am continually drawn back to the idea of a purpose-driven life. As a senior in college, the first question many people ask (as I ask myself) is, “what are you doing after graduation?” I have been blessed to receive a full time offer for a consulting firm in Plano, TX, so I often choose to answer with my future occupation along with details about that job. However, as graduation grows closer each day, I hold this dread of not feeling as if I am living on purpose towards what I actually want to pursue and what God has in store for my life.

So how do I plan to find purpose? Well, as you can tell from my academic background, I am interested in a wide range of pursuits. I love writing, and I hope one day I can pursue it professionally despite starting a corporate job soon. Looking back on college, I have set myself up very poorly to answer this question. Let me take you back to my junior year. I began the school year with the equivalent of 4 full time jobs altogether. I was a student, residential assistant on campus, co-founder of a medtech start-up, continuing my internship during the fall, a member of the SMU Rugby team, and vice president of my Christian fraternity, BYX. As you read that list, please avoid the temptation I have fallen into for the past 3 years. I would think something along the lines of “wow that person is doing a lot. I must need to do more.” I hope the rest of this post is able to disassemble those tempting thoughts of comparison, and I will attempt to explain why being present, purposeful, and particular about choosing your involvements will lead to a life of peace and fulfillment (along with God’s guidance and the care of the Holy Spirit of course).

I failed at everything I was involved in that fall semester. I only took 12 hours of credit and skated by on intellectual shortcuts rather than deeply learning class material. I neglected to spend time with my residents to foster lasting relationships. I spent weekends working on the start-up but my lack of focus meant pushing back our commercial launch almost an entire year. My internship hours were sporadic and often around 15 hours per week instead of the 20 hours I committed to. I often skipped rugby training with the excuse “I am too busy.” Finally, I planned only 1 major event for the fraternity and tried to delegate as much responsibility to my unlucky Sophomore assistant (who graciously picked up the slack). While all of this was going on, I was spiritually dry and stuck in deep sin which continued to separate me from my family, friends, and God’s presence.

Now that you have heard how I have failed in many ways, allow me to introduce you to the amazing insights I gained through other’s patience and God’s grace (this is A Graceful Space after all):

1. Presence – Often, I have found myself enslaved to a never-ending to-do list. I thought my devotion to scheduling meant I was organized and on top of everything I “had to do” that day, week, and month. My Google Calendar would make your head spin with the way I tried to budget all my time into neat 30-minute blocks of time. However, all this effort led to a feeling of eternal forward focus. Whether I was completing a task, hanging with friends, or even in church, my mind would race about which task demanded my attention next. I lived in the next instead of the now. My inability to focus on being present lead to strained relationships, and I was left isolated on my own island of “productivity.” I pray that you find the ability to fight anxiety and be present today.

2. Purpose – Being spread thin across so many involvements became a badge of honor which I wore proudly. I would often put on a “countenance of hurry” which would invite people to ask about what was going on. I would then step into the conversation gladly to complain about my busy schedule. Have you ever found yourself doing the same? These conversations only led to stroking my ego about things that held no long-term or eternal significance. My life was purposeless as I just tried to stay afloat in a sea of obligations. I took on new tasks and responsibilities to continue boasting my busyness to all who would listen. I felt that if life did not move at breakneck speed, I was falling behind. I was left unfulfilled, and I neglected things I was passionate about like writing and spending time with friends. A purposeful life means making time for the things that will matter today and ten years from now while also cutting out those that do not. I pray that you can cancel out the noise and live on purpose today.

3. Particular – In my pursuit of productivity, I found that most of my attention and energy went towards tasks that were insignificant. I craved the ability to check something off my list without having to think deeply or pour my undivided attention into something difficult or ambiguous. As I cleared my email inbox every night, the morning would mean more unread messages, and I was left in a perpetual cycle of trying to get ahead. These meaningless or at least medial tasks took my life hostage. I never seemed to have enough time to do the things I really wanted to do. However, I hoarded my time to relax and watch TV instead of spending quality time with loved ones. How often have you found yourself doing the same? I have learned that I must guard my time from life-sucking tasks while also giving it freely to the people in my life. I pray that today you may be particular with where you spend your time.

This entire post has been very authoritative as if I, as a twenty-two-year-old have found all the answers. Let me clarify, that is the opposite of the truth. This message applies to my life today just as much as I hope it applies to yours.

American author Richard Bach said, “you teach best what you most need to learn.”

If you are interested in learning more about purposeful living, please join me in reading Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman. I am halfway through, and it has been phenomenal so far. Thank you for choosing to spend your very precious time reading this today. I hope and pray it blesses you today and each day after.

Here is my email if you'd like me to pray for you or connect: mason5morland@gmail.com