Question How can I realize my purpose again after losing the one I thought I had?

[SCAdmin]

How can I realize my purpose again after losing the one I thought I had?

How do I find purpose in my life without being prey to more of man's teaching?

Same here: what do I now do with my life? Previously it was well mapped out—pioneer, full-time, circuit work, missionary work, bethel service. But now....with freedom comes responsibility.....so what do orient my life around? What should I now pursue?

 

[Tomia]

My life’s purpose was always to serve Jehovah’s will. So I don’t feel like that changed. I honestly believe I am more on track now than I was then. Now there just isn’t a lot of structure too my progress and that’s a good thing. It’s important to stay flexible so that you can bend to gods will. I also didn’t want Have the biggest identifying part of my personality be that I am an exJW. I wanted to connect with others and help them. The easiest way to do that is just to listen to others and validate their feelings when you can. In my experience most of the people I have talked to about it have been hurt by organized religion and the leadership of those religions. They have been told they aren’t good enough to know god themselves so they have to depend on the men that insert themselves in between us and Jesus. They have been coerced into actions they new in their hearts weren’t right. It’s important for them to hear that they are not crazy and that the abusive controlling behavior they experienced didn’t come from God. The men and woman that have power have gone rouge and are more focused on maintaining control than helping people to have a relationship with God. I encourage people that I talk with to follow what they believe. Rely on prayer more than what they have been taught by men. I started by getting in contact with everyone I could think of that I had been shunning and apologizing to them for being part of the mob that chased them away from the only community they knew. I actually listened to their side of their stories because no one had bothered to do that for most of them. If you take away a persons voice you take away their ability to defend themselves. Story after story was people who had been slandered or falsely accused until they gave up defending themselves. I was so moved by the positive responses I got from people just by listening to them. People who had been out of my life for almost 14 years weren’t mad at me, just happy and relieved to know that I was out and no longer in an abusive relationship with my religious overlords. The most satisfying relationship I rebuilt was with my brother. He was DFed when he was sixteen. It was probably more healing to me than it was to him when I got to tell him for the first time in 8 years that I love him and that I admired him for never being cowed back into JWs. I am so proud of him for making his own way in life with almost nothing and no one. Our relationship isn’t entirely healed yet but it’s also an honest relationship not based on pretense.

Then I started comparing my beliefs to the beliefs that others teach and vetting out why people believe what they believe and understanding their point of view. It gave me a respect for others I never had as a JW. I couldn’t really love other people until I understood them. Most people are people of conscious. Weather they have the same beliefs as me or not I can at least respect them for what they are. Good people that are trying their best. Even people that have lot their faith entirely aren’t evil people by nature. Most of them just misplace the credit for god trying to communicate to them right and wrong and instead think it’s from themselves.

Then i stopped think the only way to help people is to convert them. I started helping everyone and anybody I could regardless of their religious background in real tangible ways. Some of them I gave money too, some of them I shared a meal with, and some of them I found scriptures to encourage them with. I alway try to stay away from doctrine. I just try and reassure them that they are good and that god loves and forgives them. Some of them I could only help in a small way and some of those people ended up helping me more than I helped them. But I always try and explain to them that loving people is the true Christianity. That being kind and generous is a part of my ministry. It’s not what the doctrine you follow or the works you do it’s simply loving God first and then loving everything and everyone that belongs to him. That happens to be everyone weather they share my faith or not.

Letting go of the dismissive and condescending way I was trained to view everyone that wasn’t a JW was in someways easier than I expected but I was also surprised with how deeply intrench in my personality it was. I had been a JW since birth and it goes back in my family on both sides for generations so everyone I ever really knew was a JW. I had this big blind spot that I never new was there until I let go of the belief that JWS are a special chosen people. I have visited nondenominational church services because I want my children to be introduced to as many view points as I can. I try and compare as many translations of the Bible as I can when I research any topics that I am curious about. I go out of my way to find people that need support. I love telling the people I meet that I love them because Christ loves them. That all of the gratitude for anything good I have done for them goes to Christ because he takes care of me so that I can take care of others. The most important thing in moving forward has been letting my prayers inform my decisions. I pray about everything I remember to pray about even if it’s a small decision. I want to be as fluent in the language of Holy Spirit as possible because I don’t wanna miss instructions because I didn’t understand them or hear them right. Prayer is the most important skill to practice. If you want to serve gods will you have to be open to receiving it.

 

[Lori Jane]

I also didn’t want Have the biggest identifying part of my personality be that I am an exJW.

I worry about that for myself - that being an exJW is becoming more my identity now than my identity previously as a JW. Interesting.

I actually listened to their side of their stories because no one had bothered to do that for most of them.

Indeed! That is why we people need a type of Exodus support group - to be heard - finally!

I want to be as fluent in the language of Holy Spirit as possible because I don’t wanna miss instructions because I didn’t understand them or hear them right. Prayer is the most important skill to practice.

Amen!