Created for Purpose: Answering the Common Question, What Am I Here For?

We have lost our way. Many people struggle to fi nd not just who they are but where they’re going. Today the choices are seemingly endless and vast, making the discovery of one’s purpose more confusing and diffi cult. Or so it may seem. Men and women are able to choose from so much more of what the world can off er. As a result, people often fi nd that what they choose may be practical but not fulfi lling. We often choose what will bring us the most income and fi nancial rewards, which is indeed important, but often at the expense of our passions and dreams—if we even know what our passions and dreams are. People are seeking happiness, when what they really want is peace and contentment. Happiness is circumstantial and fleeting. Peace and contentment are sustainable and are developed through meeting our core longing for purpose. Codes of relativism and situational ethics have especially clouded our sense of purpose. Yet, there is an answer for us to return to our true sense of purpose. With standards comes a strong, stable sense of direction. Th e more we distance ourselves from God, the less we know ourselves, and the more confused we are. Th e reason for our existence, as God has designed, is directly tied to our purpose. Come and explore, and let the truth set you free!

Dr. Robert B. Shaw Jr. is a licensed professional counselor licensed in Virginia and North Carolina and a National Board Certified Counselor. An ordained minister and a Bible teacher, he has served for more than twenty-five years as a youth pastor, a Christian education director, an adult education director, a musician, and an executive pastor in churches in New Jersey, Colorado, Maryland, and currently in North Carolina. He has also been a middle-school and high-school teacher and an athletics coach in public and private schools. Dr. Shaw has spent several years counseling in church settings and community agencies and counseling military personnel and their families near Fort Bragg, North Carolina. He specializes in dealing with trauma-related issues, addictions, abuse, depression, anxiety disorders, life adjustment issues, loss, and grief, counseling church leaders and pastors, adolescents, and adults. Besides offering a unique prophetic voice in caring for hurting people, Dr. Shaw is an adjunct professor at a Christian university, an author, and a conference speaker. Dr. Shaw has a bachelor's degree in religious studies from Wagner College in New York and a Master of Divinity degree from Christian International Theological School in Florida. He also holds a Master of Arts in professional counseling from Liberty University in Virginia and a Doctor of Ministry degree in formational counseling, a practical theology, from Ashland Theological Seminary in Ohio. He is a member of the American Association of Christian Counseling and serves the association as credentialing board director and in professional development. Dr. Shaw conducts seminars and teaches practical applications of biblical truths for everyday life. He and his wife, Lorinda, have been married since 1978, and have raised five children. He loves running, sports, the beach, and spending time with family. Website: rbshaw.net