In Search of God’s Living Water

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The tagline has changed here on A Parched Soul. The new line, “…In search of God’s Living Water” better sums up what this blog is about.

The old tagline became misleading (“Cutting through culture to find God’s Living Water”). It’s what I wanted the blog to be way back when, but I’m not sure it had very much to do with what the blog actually was.

The thing is, my soul, my being, is parched.

Most of my days feel like God dropped me on an island with no fresh water, all the while being tempted by the salt water surrounding. The sun bakes me, sucking all the water from my body.

So I search.

I climb the hill of spiritual gifts tests, the valleys of prayer and the plains of the Bible looking for the Living Water, looking for direction.

But still I search.

I want to know God’s purpose for my life. I’ve taken the tests. I’ve read the books. I’ve even asked some people wiser than me.

But still I search.

And I grow tired. What to do with my life? What is my passion? What should my career be? Where is all this going?

Most days are good. Some are bad. Some days are focused. Others wandering.

So let’s do something different, shall we?

Let’s throw all (OK, most) of the conventional blogging wisdom out the window and try a new paradigm.

I’ll stop trying to tell you what to do and how to live, and you come with an open heart and mind and share your own journey and struggles. We’ll find out the rest together.

Deal? Good.

This is a place for people frustrated and weary with trying to discover their purpose. It’s a place for those searching for God’s Living Water in their own lives.

You may come and leave with more questions than answers. That’s OK. Maybe those questions are things you need to struggle with.

I’m tired of trying to do this journey alone. Maybe you are too. Why not do it together?

Let’s start today. Leave a comment answering the questions at the end of the post or just tell me something that’s on your mind. Something real. Something honest.

Thank you for being here.

Are you struggling with trying to find your purpose? Does it frustrate you? What are you wrestling with?

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  • http://www.lifeofasteward.com Loren Pinilis

    In some ways I’m still struggling to find my purpose. I feel like there are a lot of exciting paths to go down, and I feel like I’m beginning to see where God wants to take my life. But now the scary part begins of actually trying to make things happen.

    • http://aparchedsoul.com/ Grayson Pope (A Parched Soul)

      I think it’s a never ending question we have to ask ourselves. Do you mind if I ask what path it looks like you’re heading towards?

  • http://thomasemason.net/ Thomas Mason

    I search and search and still don’t find what I’m looking for. Maybe searching is a good thing. Maybe it’s something we need to do in order to weed out the junk that pops up from time to time in our life and keep us moving toward the things that really matter.

    • http://aparchedsoul.com/ Grayson Pope (A Parched Soul)

      I get caught up in what I think the goal is sometimes and forget about enjoying the search. It’s a tough thing to do, but I don’t think it has to be all frustrating. Most of the time though, that’s where I find myself.

  • SiftingPoint

    Great shift in focus Grayson.  I really like it.

    My struggle is regretting mistakes in the past and their current effect on others.  Although I know that I am forgiven in Christ, there is still the negative effects of my sin on others.  I think this can cloud my looking forward. 

    So I cling to these verses in Phil 3:12-16 

    Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. 16Only let us hold true to what we have attained.

    So I “strain forward” and “press on”.

    Keep up the great focus on your blog.  It is admired and appreciated!

    • http://aparchedsoul.com/ Grayson Pope (A Parched Soul)

      Great stuff! I so relate to that feeling of being dragged down by the feelings of the past. I find myself writing and cringing over things done in the past I wish I could change. Thank you so much for the encouragement and affirmation of the new direction. I’ve really wavered on it but it’s nice to see it’s appreciated.

  • http://www.trailreflections.com/ Chris Peek

    Nice new tagline. It really sums up what you’re writing about here. 

    I’m like you and many others – finding purpose is still a struggle. I don’t feel like I’m connecting well with people at times, and in turn, I don’t sense that I’m always serving in ways that are meaningful to the Kingdom. In addition, I know God has given me the ability to write, but I don’t know where it’s going. Often times, I wonder if I’ve completely found my “voice.” 

    All of these struggles are part of the journey that God is leading me on; it’s just He only reveals a little bit at a time.

    • http://aparchedsoul.com/ Grayson Pope (A Parched Soul)

      Thanks Chris!

      I’m certainly like you in regards to feeling like you’re not connecting to people and being unsure of what my writing is leading to. I like your little bit at a time statement. It’s almost like our purpose is more of a trail of bread crumbs than a glaring symbol.

      Thanks for you words. They were some much needed encouragement.

  • Christina Rose

    The good thing for me is that I have cleaned out the “junk” from the past and now I am looking at all of the possibilities of the future.  I am currently a pastry chef and I actually work with your mother-in-law, Maureen.  She is so delightful and has been a true mentor for me in the past year.  It has been suggested to me that I should start writing, some would call it my intuition and some would specifically say that it was God who told me this.  I am not a writer, but I have been told that I write very well.  The message that I received is that I am suppose to share my story with those that have the same desires to grow and change.  It would be about how my growth came about and it would be shared with a loving and compassionate voice.  I would allow parts of my story be revealed so I could relate to my readers.  In addition, I would want this writing to be focused more on the solutions to growth and change and help people get unstuck.  What are your thoughts?

    • http://aparchedsoul.com/ Grayson Pope (A Parched Soul)

       Christina,

      Thanks so much for your comment! Maureen is awesome, she’s been a mentor to me as well.

      I would absolutely encourage you to start writing. You may not think you’re a writer, at least at this point, but what you explained is at the heart of many writers and bloggers.

      I would start a blog and try it out. Nothing bad can come of that. What I’ve come to realize is that we’re never alone in our feelings, so there are others out there thirsting for the stories and voice you have inside you.

      If you have any questions about how to start a blog, feel free to send me and email. I would be glad to walk you through the process. aparchedsoul (at) gmail.com

      Thanks again!

  • Angela

    For years I searched my soul, asked God, read scripture. Trying to find my purpose. I grew tired and weary. Now, it seems, I have lost my relationship with our Father. 
    Slowly, I faded. I clinged to scripture and begged God to help me. To strengthen me. To keep me.  I knew what was happening. I couldn’t stop it and it still happened. “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” This seemed un-real. I was weak, not strong. 
    Now, here I sit. Weary. Saddened. Lost. 
    My life is wasting away. I don’t know how to get back. 
    Maybe my purpose was to serve Him. 

    • http://aparchedsoul.com/ Grayson Pope (A Parched Soul)

      Angela,

      Thank you for reaching out. I’ll start by saying you ended your thoughts exactly right. Your purpose IS to serve Him. That’s really what all of us are here for.

      Now on to your feelings. I’ve been there too. Just last week, in fact. I felt like I was just spinning my wheels with everything. But I heard something just this morning that totally changed my perspective.

      I was listening to a recording about finding your calling and the speaker pointed out something very relieving. He said we don’t need to confuse our lack of understanding and our lack of knowledge about our purpose as disorientation with it all. The idea is that we are calling into companionship with God. God is by nature mysterious b/c he has infinite knowledge and ours is finite. Therefore, much about our lives will be shrouded in mystery.

      And that’s OK.

      It’s part of the journey. You don’t need to feel like you should have figured it out by now. All we know is that if we continue to seek Him, we are promised that our best days are ahead of us. I’m beginning to think finding our purpose is more like following a trail of bread crumbs as opposed to happening upon a burning bush.

      Spend some time with those ideas. Try to take some of the worry, sadness and guilt off of yourself.

      If you want to talk more, feel free to email me: aparchedsoul (at) gmail.com

      Thanks Angela, I’ll be praying for your relationship with God today.

      • Sweetsisters_candy

        Thanks for your prayers.  I actually got that little tugging in my soul yesterday and dragged myself to church. Yes, dragged. 
        I have came to terms with what happened. I kept blaming God, but of course, it was me. I kept asking Him to lead me to a church. I started going to one, and He told me to stay there. My response? “I don’t want to God!”  
        So, I believe He gave me the silent treatment until my tantrum was over. It was a long tantrum… Too long.
        I’ve decided that I can’t understand some things and never will. God is God. Simple, but so difficult for the mortal mind, at times.
        Please continue to pray for me. 
        I look forward to my daily emails from A parched soul. ;)
        Angela

        • http://aparchedsoul.com/ Grayson Pope (A Parched Soul)

          That’s great news! Don’t feel bad about going in kicking and screaming, we all do at some point. I suppose that makes the relationship more real in a way.

          Ahhhhh, the silent treatment. I get that feeling a lot. You’re absolutely right though – most of the time it has everything to do with us and how we’re feeling. It’s like a relationship with a friend, in that sense. Usually when there’s a fight it’s because one of you has some hidden feelings you’re not coming to terms with.

          I will certainly continue praying for you. So glad you’re enjoying your emails! 

  • http://twitter.com/LauraCRobb Laura Robb

    This is great! Life is a journey and sometimes God changes our directions. We definitely need people to walk with us as we all struggle to figure out where God is leading. I’ve been uncovering what God wants me to do in the past year and that is to write. The frustrating and hard part is fighting through the fear and resistance, but I’m learning to go one step at a time.

    • http://aparchedsoul.com/ Grayson Pope (A Parched Soul)

      That’s great Laura!