Purpose & Campaigners

By Lauren Ford

Purpose: It’s something we all want and yet often don’t know where to find. As an adult with a college degree and a wonderful job, I still find myself looking for purpose on a regular basis.

Imagine you were back in high school. You’re a small fish in the large sea of students. You’re the one your parents are constantly worrying about, unsure if you will ever graduate high school or have a job. You’re asking yourself questions: “Why do I look different than them?”

“How come no one asks me to hang out?” “Will I ever be able to drive a car like my peers?”

For a lot of our Capernaum friends, questions like these are at the forefront of their mind. They consume all hours of the day. For others, thoughts like these are subconsciously affecting their self-worth and confidence. Regardless of how these thoughts populate our friends’ minds, many of us struggle with the word “purpose.”

At our Capernaum Campaigners, we share this: 

You were created on purpose, with a purpose, and for a purpose. These three statements define everything. They are truths that lie in the powerful and sovereign Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is in Him alone that we find all value and worth, disability or not. We want these truths to be what our group is about.

Here is the heart of our message and what we share with our friends:

· You were created on purpose: God does not make mistakes. He never has and He never will. Absolutely everything He does is out of His pure perfection.

· You were created with a purpose: Not only does God not make mistakes but He also doesn’t make decisions haphazardly. He does things with intentionality, knowing full-well the struggles, trials, and hardships.

· You were created for a purpose: Because we know God has a plan for our lives, we believe we were created for a purpose. We were made for something more. While we might not know what that is today, we know that He will make His will known to us.

These truths that we share at the beginning of Campaigners segue well into a Biblical account about Jesus. “Let’s look at a story of a man to whom God gave much purpose…” “The story we’re about to read is a great example of the purpose God gave this woman…”

It is from these three foundational truths we get to share about Jesus, the visible image of God. What a gift for the leaders who get to share during Campaigners.

Capernaum Campaigners has been one of my favorite things that we have done since we started our ministry in Highland Park four years ago. It has created a sense of community amongst our friends and leaders. If you have not yet started Capernaum Campaigners in your area, I urge you to do so. You will be opening up the door for God’s handiwork in the lives of people with special needs.