You know, there are days when you just want to send God an email. Or a text message. Or ask Him to send you one! God, could you please leave me a yellow sticky note…You can put it anywhere. In the middle of my forehead would probably work.

The one clear certainty we all have is this: You are here to matter, to make a difference. You may not know for sure what your assignment is, but the one thing you’re confident of is that you have one. And, in that surety, you’re determined to shake your world, transform everything within your reach, and enlarge life abundantly within as wide a circle as you can touch.

So, what do you do when everything in life changes and you’re no longer certain how your assignment has shifted. Transitions occur in life—sometimes planned and sometimes not.

I’m more aware than ever how dynamically life’s changes can impact your view of your assignment. Our children grow up. Our parents grow older. Our jobs end. Our dream opportunities fade and fizzle. Our vision shifts. You no longer aspire to do what you thought you wanted to do.

Being passionate about how we respond to life’s changes begins with setting real, concrete goals.

1. Set a quiet moment for contemplative Bible study. God’s Word provides spiritual insight into how He directs our life’s work and our goals. Study both the Old Testament stories of spiritual direction and New Testament encouragements.

2. Ask God. Pray and seek His direction to lead you to the work He wants you to do. Your experiences, contacts, connections, open doors and current opportunities are all arrows pointing you in the right direction. You don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow or who you’re going to meet who will be instrumental in your life, but He does.

3. Dream your biggest dream for being God’s agent in our world. You have the power to energize your dreams; that’s a power that has already been given to you. Write down your dream goals and your target dates for achieving them.

4. Take into account and write down any obstacles you foresee. Ask God to remove or help you navigate around anything you feel will block your progress.

5. Start right now! Develop a plan for doing everything within your power. How many hours will you spend developing needed skills? How will you make yourself available for learning whatever is important? So, you want to write a book? Then, tie yourself to the computer chair with your bathrobe belt and write. Want to start a prison ministry? Who are the people you need to meet who can assist you or who can introduce you to the right connections in prisons?

God’s answer to my “what’s next” question is this. It’s the formula for “exceedingly abundant” living found in Paul’s letter to the church at Ephesus: God is able; you can’t even imagine how far He can take your dreams; get excited; go ahead and kick start the power that is already within you.

20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,

Ephesians 3:20 (King James Version)