Purpose is one of those things everybody is searching for. People change careers, move cities, read books, take courses — all in pursuit of figuring out why they’re here and what they’re supposed to do with their lives.

But purpose was never meant to be a mystery you solve. It’s an identity you walk in.

Ephesians 2:10 settles it — “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

Prepared in advance. Before you were born. Before you made your first mistake or your first success. God already mapped out the works that were tailor-made for your hands. You are not an accident. You are not a coincidence. You are a carefully crafted creation with a specific assignment on this earth.

Here’s what trips a lot of people up — they’re looking for purpose in the big, dramatic moments. The grand platform. The massive audience. The life-changing event. But purpose often shows up in the small, faithful, everyday moments.

It’s in how you treat people. How you show up for your family. How you use your gifts right where you are. How you serve faithfully in the season you’re in, even when nobody is watching and the spotlight hasn’t found you yet.

Moses spent forty years in the wilderness before God called him to lead. Paul was in the desert after his conversion before he started his ministry. Even Jesus spent thirty years in obscurity before three years that changed the world forever.

The hidden season is not wasted time. It’s preparation time.

You don’t have to have it all figured out today. Just stay close to God, be faithful where you are, and trust that the One who created you with purpose is more than capable of walking you into it.

Your purpose is already in you. It just needs room to grow.

-Terrence Burton