Continuing the Journey: When “It’s All for Him” Meets Real Life Struggles
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Further Reflections on Chapter Seven of The Purpose Driven Life
After finishing Chapter Seven of The Purpose Driven Life, and it’s powerful declaration that “It’s all for Him,” I found myself physically sick with a head cold. Sometimes God uses our bodies to slow us down when our minds are processing something significant. As I rested on Friday, unable to do much more than think and pray (which I thought was a setback from work), deeper questions started surfacing- questions that this chapter on living for God’s glory had stirred up but didn’t fully address for my particular journey.
Warren wrote that “Living for God’s glory is the greatest achievement we can accomplish with our lives,” and I believe this to be true with my whole heart. But what happens when the belief comes up against the practical realities of past trauma, financial instability, and the very human struggle to provide for your family (also, known as the Maslows Hierarchy of needs) What does it look like to live for God’s glory when you’re wrestling with identity wounds that run generations deep?
When Scripture Meets Struggle
As I reflected on Warren’s teaching about glorifying God through worship, loving others, becoming like Christ, serving with our gifts, and telling others about Him, other scriptures began weaving themselves into my thoughts. Luke 17:33 and John 12:24-25 cam to mind, both speaking about losing our life to find it, about not being consumed by the mundane things of this world.
The word “consumed” hit me, from it’s Latin root “consuere,'“ meaning to use up, eat, or waste completely (according to etymonline), I realized I’d been living a pattern of consumption that wasn’t about material excess- it was about being used up by the very struggle to avoid material lack.
Here’s my cycle: I find jobs that pay “good money” but slowly consume my peace. The stress builds until I can’t take it anymore, so I leave, finding the perfect peace Isaiah 26:3 promises to those whose minds are stayed on God. Then the money runs out. Panic sets in. I scramble for another “good money” job, accumulate things again- cars, clothes, housing, experiences for the children- only to find myself back in the same soul-draining environment.
Each time, I tell myself this job will be different. Each time I end up choosing pace over provision, then provision over, peace in an endless cycle that leaves me wondering: Am I seeking first the kingdom of God, or am I just trying to survive?
The Heart Check Warren Didn’t Prepare Me For
Warren asks us to consider how we can bring glory to God, and lists five clear ways but he doesn’t address what happens when your calling to glorify God intersects with deep- seated identity issues rooted in childhood trauma. He doesn’t talk about what it means to serve others with your fights when those very gifts come from wounds you’re healing.
I’m called to be a life coach, specifically helping women of color overcome imposter syndrome. The irony isn’t lost on me- I’m called to help others battle the very thoughts that plague me daily: “Am I good enough?” “Can I really do this?” “Do I deserve the good things I’m working toward?”
Growing up in a single- parent home and experiencing homeless left scars that created an underdog mentality. I feel someone who must constantly prove he worthiness, work twice as hard to earn her place in society. Reading Malcolm Gladwell’s David and Goliath during my recovery time, I recognized myself as someone who’s spent her life feeling perpetually behind, always trying to catch up.
Redefining What “It’s All for Him” Means
Warren teaches that we were created to bring God glory, quoting Isaiah 43:7: “They are my own people, and I created them to bring me glory.” What does this look like when you’re working through generational identity issues while trying to build a business, raise children, and figure out how to break cycles of financial instability?
I’ve come to understand that my struggles don’t disqualify me from glorifying God- they might actually be the very place where His glory shines brightest. The dimensions of salvation that Pastor Dhariaus Daniels outlines in his sermon “Medicine from the Master” aren’t just theological concepts; they’re my lives experience:
Justification- God’s declaration of my innocence despite my failures and fears
Regeneration- The supernatural rebirth that’s happening as I learn who I really am in Him.
Redemption- Being brought back from the lie that what has me owns me, whether that’s poverty mindset, imposter syndrome, introvertedness, or ancestral wounds.
Sanctification- The lifelong process of becoming more Christ-like that I’m walking out in real time.
The Ministry of Mess
Here’s what I’m learning that this chapter has implied but didn’t explicitly state: sometimes our greatest ministry comes from having arrived, but from being willing to journey authentically. My clients don’t need a perfect coach who has conquered every battle. They need someone who understands the weight of wondering if they’re good enough, someoen who knows what it feels like to question their worthiness of stability, success, and peace.
When Warren writes about serving others with our gifts, he notes that “Each of us was uniquely designed by God with talents, gifts, skills and abilities. The way you’re ‘wired’ is not an accident.” I’m beginning to see that my wiring includes not just my natural abilities but also my wounds, my questions, my ongoing struggles with identity and provision.
Maybe God’s glory is revealed not despite the imposter syndrome, but through my willingness to coach others while still battling it myself. Maybe His power is made perfect in the weakness of not having it all figured out, of still asking Him daily how to seek first His kingdom while trusting Him to add “all these things” to me.
Living Matthew 6:33 in Real Time
“But seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.: This verse has become both my anchor and my wrestling ground. Jesus illustrated this truth beautifully, pointing to flowers that don’t labor or spin yet are clothed more gloriously than Solomon. His message wasn’t that we should live in poverty, but that we should trust our heavenly Father who knows what we need.
The question that keeps surfacing is: Am I wanting stability and nice things because I believe God is punishing me for past mistakes, or because I’m genuinely seeking His kingdom first and trusting Him to provide? The heart check is real and ongoing.
Jesus came that we might have life “to the full” (John 10:10), and nothing about that statement requires material poverty. It does require proper alignment- spirit first, trusting God for everything else.
The Continuation of Glory
Warren closes chapter seven with an invitation to live for God’s glory by fulfilling the purposes He made us for. I’m learning that this fulfillment doesn’t wait until I have all my issues resolved. It happens in the midst of working them out, in the authenticity of the journey itself.
My story is still being written, and maybe that’s exactly what makes it useful to others. I’m not coaching from a place of arrival but from a place of authentic seeking. Maybe that’s where the most powerful ministry happens- in the willingness to figure it our together while keeping our eyes fixed on His glory.
As I continue this journey that chapter seven has launched, I’m learning that “It’s all for Him” doesn’t mean I have to have it all together. It means I can bring my questions, my struggles, my ongoing sanctification process to Him and trust that even in the mess-especially in the mess His glory can shine through.
The chapter that wrecked me in the best way continues to work in me, revealing that God’s purposes for my life include not just the destination, but every step of the journey toward it. In that truth, I find both peace and purpose, even with a head cold and a heart full of questions.
Point: God’s glory shines not just in our victories, but in our willingness to seek Him through our struggles.
Verse: “But seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” - Matthew 6:33
Question: How might God be using my ongoing struggles as a part of His plan to glorify Himself through my life and ministry?
