Dr. Jordan Peterson once said, “Don’t underestimate the hole your absence would leave … each of us… we’re remarkable creatures, and we have something to offer to the world, to the people we love, to the world at large. It’s our responsibility to make that manifest.”
Many of us feel disconnected these days. Reality comes filtered and captured through images, posts, likes, and followers. Algorithms decide what we see, from advertisements to news, and we become a piece in a game we do not control.
What little we can control, we often guard too tightly out of fear. We sense we’re losing something important, even if we can’t name exactly what it is. We just know something is slipping from our grasp, if it ever was there to begin with.
For some, that missing piece is connection: a partner or friend who truly reciprocates, who loves and learns with you, who loves and learns you.
For others, it’s a purpose that stretches beyond the 9-to-5 and monthly bills. A mission that moves from merely surviving to authentically thriving. The beautiful irony is that both connection and purpose can happen simultaneously: in the job, in the family, in the small daily doings.
We complicate life when we compartmentalize our to-dos from our calling.
Purpose doesn’t wait for perfection. It lives in the frayed details: in the cluttered house with dirty dishes in the sink, at the grocery store when we’re not looking or feeling our best, in the car when our children or grandchildren are sulking after not getting their way, and in the nights when sleep feels more like a distant dream than a reality.
Yet we live in an exaggerated society that keeps us distracted by people and posts carrying little moral weight. We walk heavily laden with thoughts that keep us low, drained, and afraid that this might be as good as it gets.
This is a trap with multiple doors, such as the thief of comparison, perceived opportunities (both missed and attained), grimy social media, and fickle feelings.
Yet, scripture reminds us, “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things” (Philippians 4:8).
If we live into the verse, our lives will inevitably be filled with a fuller purpose. So much, in fact, that the void society tries to have us stuff with memes, mayhem, and misunderstandings, will be replaced with glory and love for the Lord. And as a natural byproduct, more genuine love for others (and self).
The distractions won’t disappear, but they will lose their throne when we place them under God’s authority rather than our limited strength and wild imagination.
We underestimate the hole our absence would leave because the world is already full of voids, potholes, and traps in the form of chaos, confusion, busyness, debauchery, and division.
What’s another hole, especially when it will be filled far too quickly with time?
What we don’t consider — really consider — is that we fortify ourselves and others when we walk by the light of His truths and in His grace and love. By the power of the Holy Spirit, God can use us to turn holes into holy ground.
Despite our imperfections, we make an eternal impact. Daily.
The world doesn’t need another filtered version of us; rather, it needs the real, present, purpose-driven you.
You workers. You retired. You mamas. You dads. You grandparents. You friends. You spouses. You neighbors. You believers. You hope-bearers. You weary. You discouraged. You concerned. You full of joy. You… in all the ways and for always… authentically you.
Start small. Reach out. Show up. Create. Love. Learn. Serve.
Your life is not background noise. It is an eternal contribution.
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as your reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving” (Colossians 3:23-24).
This column was initially published by CherryRoad Media. For more inspirational articles, follow ©Tiffany Kaye Chartier.
