November 3, 2026
You are invited to join this week’s Daily Reflections on the subject of “Living Our Purpose.”
Early in life, many of us search for the right career, occupation, job, or, in essence, the right circumstances in which to spend our lives. We often believe that if we don't discover and fulfill our purpose, we will misspend our lives, leaving us unfulfilled. So, we devote a great deal of energy to discovering what we were cut out to be.
The route to discovering our purpose may be circuitous. It may take several trial runs in different roles or circumstances before we find what seems like the best fit. And one “fit” may eventually give way to another. The trade, occupation, or role we finally choose provides the context in which our skills, interests, and abilities can best contribute to the world. But beneath the surface, we discover another, deeper purpose that is neither defined by nor dependent on our occupational role. We might call this our “soul purpose.”
Yes, beneath our everyday working role lies another dimension of life where soul transactions occur. This is where we fulfill our true purpose. These deeply meaningful interactions take place within our own soul and between our soul and the souls of others. The expression of our true nature is our soul’s purpose—the real purpose of our life.
Recently, I had the honor of meeting a gentleman who will soon be ninety and who had been a beloved minister throughout his adult life until his retirement. His face glows with love, and his presence immediately invites you into relationship. He and his precious wife, whose face is also aglow, live independently in a retirement village. I learned from my dear friend, who is their daughter, that her father keeps a bowl of small stones in their home. On each stone, he has carefully painted a single word: HOPE. When the occasion seems right, he gives one of these stones to anyone who might be visiting in their home. He also takes his “hope stones” to gatherings and events, giving them to those whom he senses may need to hold a little hope—right in the palms of their hands.
What a beautiful expression of a life devoted to its deepest purpose! Though this gentleman is no longer serving as an employed minister, he continues to fulfill his deeper calling—to bring hope into the world, not only by giving stones but also through his presence, words, and support, one person at a time. His ministry did not end with retirement. In fact, his soul’s purpose has never retired! Bringing hope to others in many ways is at the very heart of his ordination and his life force. It is not simply what he does. It expresses who he truly is.
And this brings us to an important distinction: our occupation or role is what we do, but our soul purpose is an expression of who we are. Our outward occupation may not be in the helping professions or even in a role that puts us in direct contact with others through service. But regardless of what duties we outwardly perform, every behavior and thought associated with those duties is preceded by an intention and accompanied by an expression of the heart behind that intention. Regardless of our line of work, what we offer the world is, at its core, spiritual in nature.
This week, we will reflect on the deeper purpose of our lives—our soul purpose. It is that which we are here to express, regardless of our occupation, circumstances, age, or family role. It is the expression of our truest Self, our Essence, our Essential Being. Our soul purpose is that particular quality of the Divine that seeks expression through us. It is what we are called to bring into the world, and when we consciously live from it, we experience the profound fulfillment of being truly alive.
I believe that discovering our purpose is not so much about finding the right thing to do as it is about discovering the Divine quality within us that longs to be given to the world. And perhaps, like my friend’s wonderful father with his “hope stones,” we will discover that our deepest purpose has been quietly expressing itself through us all along, regardless of where we are or whom we are with.
Spiritual Practice
Today, take an inventory of your daily interactions with others. Recall those moments when you experienced a particularly deep, heartfelt sense of meaning or fulfillment. What were you giving or sharing in those moments? Was it hope, compassion, encouragement, understanding, love, or something else? Could the Divine quality you were expressing in those interactions be a clue to your soul's true purpose?
Inquiry
If you could never again experience or offer that deeply meaningful quality in your interactions with others, how would its absence affect your sense of purpose? What might this reveal about the deepest calling of your soul?
Prayer
Dear God,
Thank You for the grace of planting our true purpose within each of us. Help me become conscious of that purpose every day, in every way. May I recognize the Divine quality You have entrusted to me and offer it freely to the world. Open my eyes to recognize and receive the unique soul purpose of everyone I know and meet. May we become living expressions of Your love through the purposes You have placed within us.
Amen
