Chapter 20
The Purpose Process
It had been two weeks since Josh and Dharma had visited the farm, yet it felt like a lifetime ago. A strong wind was blowing as the cold air moved in from the north. It was a weekday, so the crowds were gone, and so were the pilot and the line of people waiting to see the maze from a higher perspective. The blue skies had turned gray, and the buzz and excitement that had filled the air two weeks ago was replaced by a quiet stillness. Yes, there is a time for everything, Dharma thought, as Josh left her in the car and went to find the farmer. He searched all around the farm but couldn’t find him. He must be in the maze, Josh thought, since there were still some people, mostly parents with young children, making their way through it. Most people were at work or school, but the maze still offered adventure for the young and the young at heart.
He looked at the maze differently now as he approached it. He saw it from a higher perspective and was no longer fearful of getting lost. He entered with the confidence of someone who knew that the beginning and end were connected, and he ran through the maze without fear, looking for the farmer. At one point, he faced a wall of cornstalks and was faced with a choice. Should he go left or right? It reminded him that he had new questions and trusted that the farmer would once again be able to guide him. When he bent down to tie his shoes, he saw the shoes of someone standing in front of him. When he stood up he was glad to see it was the farmer. “I’ve been looking for you,” Josh said with excitement.
“I’m glad you came back, Josh,” the farmer said, letting him know he remembered him. “You don’t look so lost this time. I suspect your journey has been successful, yes?”
“Well, yes and no,” Josh said. “I decided where to plant the seed you gave me, but you said when I found where to plant the seed my purpose would be revealed to me, and it still hasn’t revealed itself.”
The farmer smiled. “You are right, Josh. I did say it would be revealed to you, but I didn’t say it would all happen immediately. It takes time for your purpose to unfold. Even though you want it to happen in two weeks, two days, or two months, it unfolds in its own time. But I can guarantee one thing. I would bet the farm that part of your purpose has been revealed to you. You just don’t see it. Let me ask you a question. As you have searched where to plant the seed, what have you learned?”
“I’ve learned that I need to learn from the past and that the past has prepared me for my future. I’ve learned that even though I can learn from the past, I can’t plant my seed there. I also realize I can’t plant my seed in the future. I can only plant my seed where I am, in the present, and so I need to plant my seed at my current job; it is there that I will focus on learning, growing, and serving.”
“I told you so,” the farmer said. “Your purpose has been revealed to you. Not all of it, but the first layer. You see, purpose is like an onion. It has many layers. The first layer of your purpose is to plant the seed where you are and make the decision to be all that you were created to be—to use your strengths, gifts, and talents to the best of your ability in the service of something bigger than you.
“Once you make this decision to plant the seed where you are, you realize that you are the seed, Josh. It’s not just about planting the seed. It’s about planting you. There is a process that seeds must go through in order to become all they are destined to become, and you must go through this same process.
“And as you go through this process, just as the layers of onion peel away, your layers of purpose unfold, and you realize everything in life prepares you to live the purpose for which you were created. It doesn’t matter what job you have or whether you are a businessperson, a student, a teacher, or an athlete. It’s about planting yourself where you are and becoming a conduit for your bigger purpose to flow through you.”
“Well, how long does this process take?” Josh asked, knowing he wanted to live his bigger purpose and yet wondering if he had the patience to go through it.
“It’s a process that lasts a lifetime, Josh. Living your purpose is not a one-time event. It is the event. Then the farmer paused, picked up a stalk of corn, looked at it, and continued, “Now, with that said, different people find their purposes at different times. Some decide to plant themselves when they are younger and others make this decision when they are older. Unfortunately, some never plant themselves, and they live a meaningless existence.
“Everyone is unique and must go through their own unique process and circumstances to find and live their calling. However, one thing is certain: Everyone will go through four stages as their purpose unfolds in their life. The stages unfold at different times for each person, and the duration of each stage depends on each person’s unique purpose and journey. But the one constant is that everyone must go through four stages to find and live their purpose. The process doesn’t care what age you are or what your vocation is or what school you went to. Its only concern is for your growth into the person you are meant to be.”
In that moment, Josh heard wind chimes creating beautiful sounds, and he remembered what his professor said about the music of spheres and playing your note to contribute to the symphony of life. There was indeed a process to creating music—including powerful moments of inspiration and creative flow balanced with times of struggle and doubts. It was exciting, but often challenging, to give birth to a new piece of music, yet it was a process he had gone through many times. It was painful but necessary. Josh had a feeling that the purpose process was the same. The foreboding of pain made him hesitant to go through it, but he knew he had to do it. With reluctance, he asked the farmer to explain the four stages.