Discovering Divine Purpose: How to Find Meaning When You feel Spiritually Restless

Reflection of Chapter One of The Purpose Driven Life

Warren shares Ephesians 1:11, which declares, “In Him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will.”

This verse hits at the heart of human existence: we are not accidents wandering through life trying to create meaning from nothing. Instead, we are intentional creations with a predetermined purpose, crafted by a God who orchestrates all things according to His perfect will.

This revelation is humbling and liberating.

As Warren notes earlier in the chapter, purpose comes through revelation , this is perfect place to take a pause…

Humbling, because it reminds us that we are not the authors of our own stories, as much as we would like to believe we are. Liberating, because it means we don’t have to carry the crushing weight of figuring everything out on our own.

Why So Many Accomplished Women Still Feel Spiritually Unfulfilled

And yet, even with verses like this, I’ve noticed something that isn’t talked about enough — especially among accomplished women.

You can be doing “all the right things” and still feel a quiet restlessness beneath it all. You can be responsible, accomplished, faithful, and productive and still feel unsettled inside, as if something is missing. Not because you’re ungrateful, and not because you’re doing life wrong… but because success (doing) and significance (being) are not the same thing and your soul knows the difference.

For women who lead — entrepreneurs, builders, vision-carriers, the ones who manage households, businesses, and other people’s emotions with the same steady hands day after day— life can look full on paper while feeling strangely empty in the heart. You’re showing up. You’re serving. You’re producing but deep down, there’s a whisper that asks, “Is this all?”

That question isn’t a failure of faith. It’s an invitation — a holy interruption calling us back to the truth that purpose is not something we manufacture. It’s something we receive, align with, and live out.

The Path to True Freedom

The second verse that caught my attention comes from Romans 8:6 (MSG):
“Obsession with self in these matters is a dead end; attention to God leads us out into the open, into a spacious, free life.”

Self-obsession leads to death. God-focused attention leads to life.

But what does it actually mean to give our attention to God?

The etymology of the word attention offers a beautiful clue. According to etymonline, it comes from the Latin attentiōn-em, rooted in the verb attendere, meaning “to attend” or “to give heed.” This word is formed from two parts: ad (to, toward) and tenere (to hold, stretch). The original meaning is “to stretch toward.”

This paints a powerful picture of biblical attention. When we give our attention to God, we are not passively glancing in His direction. We are actively stretching our minds, hearts, and entire beings toward Him — reaching beyond our limited perspective to embrace His infinite wisdom.

This is not a fleeting thought or a casual glance. It is a deliberate, sustained posture of alignment with God’s heart and purposes.

Freedom Through Divine Focus

When we stretch our focus toward God and His purposes for our lives, something beautiful happens — we begin to live more freely and openly in truth.

This freedom is not the world’s definition of freedom, which often means doing whatever we want without consequence. Instead, it is the liberation that comes from knowing and walking in our true identity and calling.

Jesus’ words in John 8:36 affirm this truth: “If the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.”

True freedom is found in surrender to the One who created us and knows us better than we know ourselves.

The Liberation of Divine Purpose

When I sit with the idea of living within God’s purpose, what I feel most is relief.

There is a deep exhale that comes when I realize I no longer have to look to myself for answers that can only come from my Creator. The pressure to figure out my life’s meaning, to create my own purpose, to validate my own existence; all of that weight lifts when I remember that God already holds the answers I need to live in His perfect design.

This is about recognizing that our truest selves emerge when we align with God’s design for our lives. Like a key that only functions properly in the right lock, we function best when we operate within the purpose for which we were created.

A Resource That Grounds Me

If you want to explore this journey more deeply, you can find the book here

Get The Purpose Driven Life on Amazon

A Daily Reminder

The verse anchoring this reflection is Colossians 1:16b (MSG):
“Everything starts in Him and finds its purpose in Him.”

This simple truth reminds me daily that purpose is not something I need to manufacture. It is something I discover through relationship with God.

Confronting the Noise

This brings me to one of Warren’s most challenging questions:

“In spite of all the advertising around me, how can I remind myself that life is really about living for God, not myself?”

My honest response is: I’m not sure.

We live in a world saturated with messages about self-fulfillment, personal achievement, and individual happiness. Social media algorithms constantly pull our attention inward toward our image, our success, our desires, and our comfort.

What I do know is this: staying immersed in God’s Word reveals more of His character, which naturally deepens my relationship with Him. The more time I spend in Scripture, the clearer His voice becomes amid the noise.

A Step Forward

This realization has led me to consider something both practical and challenging. maybe the most influential form of advertising in my life is social media.

Since I don’t watch much television, most of my mental input comes from platforms designed to promote comparison and self-focus. When we remove the constant stream of self-focused content, we make room for God-focused reflection.

Purpose Requires Practice, Not Just Understanding

One thing I’m learning is that purpose doesn’t become real simply because I can explain it.

I can read truth. I can underline what resonates. I can feel inspired in the moment — and still slip back into autopilot the next day. Not because the message lacks power, but because transformation requires embodiment. It requires practice.

For me, living with purpose means asking different questions in real time:

What is God inviting me to release?
Where am I striving instead of surrendering?
What habits are shaping me when no one is watching?

Purpose becomes clearer when I live like my life matters in the small moments — when I choose alignment over performance and make decisions that honor who I’m becoming, not just what I’m producing.

I’m learning that stewardship of purpose also includes stewardship of the body — something I’ll be exploring more as this journey continues.

The Journey Continues

As I move forward, I’m realizing that discovering God’s purpose isn’t about adding more to an already full life. It’s about subtraction — removing distractions and self-obsession that keep me from stretching toward Him with my full attention.

The path to divine purpose requires courage: turning away from the mirror and toward the cross, from self-examination to God-examination, from asking “What do I want?” to “What does God want?”

This is where true freedom begins — in the quiet, beautiful surrender of stretching ourselves completely toward our Creator and trusting Him to reveal the purpose for which we were made.

This reflection is part of my 40-day journey through The Purpose Driven Life. You can explore the full series here → Purpose Driven Life Hub