Purpose is My Middle Name

8 yr old nephew “He just did that to me on purpose!”
5 yr old nephew’s response “Purpose is my middle name.” (James Bond eyebrow arch included)
Me. Unable to contain my laughter.

I know I have quoted my nephews in the past. They make for great material. There is a reason for these quotes though….the Lord uses these simple daily interactions to buttress the truths He has been building in my life.

Most recently, my focus has been directed (with a fervent gaze) on His cross. A few years ago my (extremely God-given talented) cousin wrote a song titled “The Cross Centered Life”. She was 15 years old at the time. The words were Spirit breathed:

What was it that drew me to Your throne of grace?
What was it that made my heart sing?
Twas Your Son hanging there
With all of my sins to bear
Way up on Calvary

The chorus goes on to say

Give me one mindset
One single passion
The cross which your Son once suffered for me
Reopen my blinded eyes
Rekindle my fading heart
I long to be revived
I seek one ambition
To have a cross centered life

Powerful words, aren’t they?

In the book Gospel of Peace by Jim Richards he discusses the centrality of the Cross. “…all understanding, all revelation, all that God has done for us could only be understood in the finished work of the cross. All truth has its basis in the cross. Prior to the cross God had spoken in many different ways, through many different people, in many different situations. Now, however, He has said all He has to say in His son. Specifically in His death, burial, and resurrection. (Heb 1:1-2) To live by faith is to live dependent on, trusting in, adhering to and deriving power from what Jesus did at the cross. All else is simply vain imaginations.”

(I realize I am quoting a lot…bear with me…)

The cross is center. God’s Word….letter of love to us….from the very beginning (John 1:1)…Elohim(Creator God) had a PURPOSE. That purpose was the cross. It was everything the cross embodies. Forgiveness. Salvation. Renewal. Sanctification. Reunification. The entire Bible from Genesis (chp 3 v15 anyone??) is a gloriously weaved purposeful journey towards the cross.

“At the cross. At the cross. Where I first saw the light….”

I was blind. But now I see. I was broken. But now I am whole. I was lost. But now I am found. And why is that? Because of the cross.

It is transformative.

Please don’t misunderstand. I am not idolizing the piece of tree that was used to stake my Savior to the ground. I am worshiping the One who chose the cross. I am pledging my allegiance to Christ who manifested the Father’s purpose…with the cross. We are wooed by the cross. We are cleansed by the cross. And we are called to take up the cross.

I am a typical woman. I have dozens of things on any given day that pull at my attention. Work, family, friends, ministry, errands, etc etc etc… and all of that quickly turns into a knotted ball of yarn without purpose. I need, and am called, to be a woman of purpose. To not just act instinctively, or passively, but with purpose.

But what is my purpose?

The answer is clear. I am to look to the Author and Perfecter of our faith (Heb 12:2). His entire life, from conception to death and ultimately to resurrection had one sole purpose.

The cross.

I seek one ambition. To live a cross centered life.

To quote my nephew…..

Purpose is my middle name.