One of the deepest questions in the human heart is simple but unsettling.
Why am I here?
You can have a career, a degree, a full calendar and still wake up one day thinking, What am I actually doing with my life? In Episode 3 of the Generations Podcast, Os Hillman joins Dr. J, Mark and Ian to talk honestly about purpose, calling and how to discover why God made you.
At the core of the conversation is this conviction. Purpose is not something you invent. It is something you receive from the God who created you.
For years churches and individuals have gravitated toward teachings about purpose. Rick Warren’s “The Purpose Driven Life” was a global phenomenon because it tapped into something already alive in every heart. People desperately want to know what God thinks of when He thinks of them.
Scripture confirms that we were made with intention.
Colossians 1:16 says that everything was created by Christ and for Christ.
Ephesians 2:10 says we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works that God prepared in advance for us to do.
Jeremiah 1:5 reveals that God knew and set Jeremiah apart before he was even formed in the womb.
Purpose is not an optional add on for spiritual overachievers. It is woven into your spiritual DNA.
The problem is that most people look in all the wrong places to find that purpose. Os points out that identity often gets built on three shaky foundations:
If your sense of purpose is tied only to a job or a season, then when that job changes or that season ends, you are left wondering who you really are.
God’s design is different. He created us in His image to identify with Christ. When our core identity is rooted in Him, our purpose becomes an expression of His life through our unique wiring, gifts and story.
Ian adds a younger perspective. In his generation, the battle over purpose is intense. When people live without a sense of God given purpose, it often shows up in self destructive patterns, violence or a frantic search for meaning in all the wrong places.
At the same time, there is a growing number of young believers who are reconnecting to Christ, finding their purpose in Him and seeing the fruit of that decision. In a world full of endless digital options and opportunities, clarity about how God specifically wired you is more vital than ever.
Os shares a pivotal moment in his own journey. In his early forties a board member who coached executives in transition told him, “I think you know your gifts and abilities, but I do not think you know why God made you.”
She led him through a simple but profound process:
For Os, words like “articulator,” “shepherd” and “leader” emerged. The statement that eventually formed was:
God made Os Hillman to be an articulator and shepherd of foundational ideas that lead to transformation.
What struck him later was how that statement described his life across very different seasons. As a golf pro, he articulated and coached people to transform their game. As an ad agency owner, he guided clients in transforming their businesses. Later, as a teacher and author, he articulated and shepherded spiritual ideas that led to transformation in people and cultures.
Your purpose statement may not define a specific job, but it should fit your God given “how” in almost any environment.
Purpose is not discovered in a vacuum. Os is candid about a season where he lost more than half a million dollars, his wife left and 80 percent of his business disappeared. He was in what Hosea calls the “Valley of Achor” which means “trouble.”
Hosea 2:15 promises that God can turn the Valley of Achor into a door of hope.
If you allow God to walk you through adversity, that season can become a place of deep authority. Once you have overcome panic attacks, financial collapse, broken relationships or other trials with God’s help, you carry a unique ability to minister to others in that same area.
In God’s economy, your deepest pain can become a platform to serve others. You can give the enemy a “black eye” by using what he meant for harm as fuel for kingdom impact.
Another key idea in the episode is that you are called to solve problems.
Jesus constantly solved problems. He healed the sick, rescued the woman caught in adultery, restored Peter’s fishing business and met people at their point of need. Each miracle increased His influence.
Os points out that city transformation is not mysterious. Imagine ten churches asking the mayor one simple question. “What is your greatest problem?” If those churches unite to solve that problem with faith and practical service, their influence in that city will grow.
In the same way, as you solve problems with the wisdom, gifts and authority God has given you, your influence and impact will grow.
Throughout the episode, the team highlights that purpose is best discovered and walked out in community. Os did not come to clarity alone. God used a South African board member, prophetic voices, friends, an English teacher who became his editor and a publishing mentor who reminded him there is a difference between being a writer and being an author.
The Generations project and the 4:6 Circle exist to create that kind of environment, especially for the next generation. Malachi 4:6 speaks of the hearts of fathers turning to children and children to fathers. Generations is about building a place where spiritual fathers, mothers, sons and daughters can walk together and pass on wisdom.
Inside the 4:6 Circle, members receive Os’s booklet “How to Discover Why God Made You,” mentoring calls and additional resources designed to help believers of all ages clarify and live out their purpose.
If your heart resonates with this conversation, here are a few practical ways to respond:
Mark Twain once said, “The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.”
Our prayer is that you will not only discover why God made you, but also have the courage, support and wisdom to live it out fully so that when you stand before Him, there is nothing left on the table.
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purpose, why God made you
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