Your Life Has a Purpose

Is it bad to admit that for the longest time, I was jealous of my husband’s passion and purpose? He knew that coaching at the collegiate level was what he was created for, and he never hesitated for a second in pursuing it. He literally could do nothing else. All the while, I proved time and again, by trying this and starting that, that I could do anything but was truly passionate about nothing. Nothing fueled me and filled me like coaching did my husband.

I have come to believe that some people are basically born with a purpose (like my husband), while others see their purpose born out of their life circumstances (like me). Because of this realization, I have found strength and reassurance in Joseph’s story from the Old Testament.

Genesis 45:4-8 says:

Joseph said to his brothers, “Come closer to me,” so they came near. Then he said, “I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt. Now, do not be upset and do not be angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me ahead of you to preserve life! For these past two years, there has been famine in the land and for five more years, there will be neither plowing nor harvesting. God sent me ahead of you to preserve you on the earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So now, it is not you who sent me here, but God. He has made me an adviser to Pharaoh, lord over all his household, and ruler over all the land of Egypt.”

Joseph’s eleven brothers sold him into slavery when he was just a boy. His path was filled with ups and downs. One minute he was the favorite son, and the next he was taken to Egypt as a slave. He became the head of his master’s estate, but then the master’s wife wrongfully accused him of attempting to seduce her, and he was sent to prison. While there, he became the right-hand man of the warden. He made a connection with the royal cupbearer by accurately interpreting a dream. However, it took two years for that relationship to prove worthwhile when the cupbearer recommended Joseph to the Pharaoh, who needed an interpretation of his own dream. After Joseph explained what the dream meant, Pharaoh made Joseph his second-in-command. Despite all the hardship that he had to endure, Joseph trusted that God was in control the entire time, not his brothers, the slave traders, his masters, or the prison guards.

The coaching lifestyle is one of going where the job takes you. What made it hard for me, at least in the beginning, was the fact that I only saw the sacrifices I had to make in order to support my husband’s purpose. I couldn’t understand that the purpose could be for me as well. I put my big God in a small box.

I have come to see, in hindsight, that he used every place and group of people to help mold me. He used every sacrifice and hardship to build my character and give me the skills he knew I’d need to step into my purpose. Everything I went through and all the lessons I learned gave me the insight and knowledge to help others who were on a similar path. I’ve been able to connect with and guide other coaches’ wives who are just starting out in this lifestyle. I’ve been able to share my stories and lessons learned with empathy and compassion to encourage and empower others through faith. But just like Joseph, without even one of my circumstances, nothing comes together. Without even one of my situations, I can’t step into my purpose.

As someone who’s been down a path she never wanted to tread and who ended up in places she never thought she’d be, I have realized that God being at the wheel has meant far bigger things than I could have ever imagined. I never had any interest in leaving home, but after eighteen years of going wherever my coach husband goes, I can see it wasn’t the job that sent us to all those places, but God. I’ve lived in beautiful places and met incredible people. I’ve become a better person, wife, mom, and Christian.

It was through all the hardships and crooked roads that Joseph found his purpose. And it was because of this coach’s wife’s life, not in spite of it, that I found mine. God is behind every step of your journey, too. Like mine, your life has a purpose.

Jess Gilardi was a mental health therapist in the school system before becoming the full-time chaos coordinator for her family (aka stay-at-home mom). She and her husband have three young kids. Jess started writing in hopes that by sharing her stories and lessons learned, she can help others learn “the easy way.”