The chorus in Madonna's 1985 hit single Material Girl is:
Living in a material world
And I am a material girl
You know that we are living in a material world
And I am a material girl
If your worldview is that of a material world, then money is what makes the world go around. But does money define purpose?
How would you live your life differently if you had unimagined wealth? In this On-Purpose Minute, let's explore the role money plays in mastering your life.
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One's education and life trajectory are highly correlated. For some reason, however, many segments of our US population (children and parents) view schooling as a prison sentence instead of an opportunity of a lifetime.
Let me assume you don't know of Shakira, a international pop sensation from Colombia, South America, not South Carolina. This young woman's remarkable voice, talent, and moves (She Wolf song video) have catapulted her to the top of the song charts.
Shakira, gets it, however, when it comes to education - she is pouring much of her earnings into education by founding a school in her hometown of Barranquilla. The multiple Grammy winner has gifted $6 million through her foundation, Pies Descalzos, which means "barefoot" in
Spanish, to create a school to help 150 kids get ahead in life.
And if you're tempted to think Shakira is simply an empty-headed, manufactured public relations image, let me encourage you to watch the short video (below) of a speech she gave in the United Kingdom at Oxford Union about the importance of education.
Shakira, you are an on-purpose person! Thank you for converting your pop
culture fortunes into dollars dedicated to improving the culture of your country. Your legacy will live in the lives of those children and the
generations to follow.
Casting Crowns is a contemporary Christian band that just had an article written about them entitled Casting Crowns On Purpose. In the article, the front man, Mark Hall, shares what it means to have a "life on purpose." He is really close to understanding the power and potential of being on-purpose.
Back in the late 1980s when I was teaching about on-purpose in the positive, it was very novel. Until that time, most people would use on purpose to negate a negative, such as, "I didn't mean to spill my milk on purpose." I knew then, as I still do today that I am pioneering a positive concept whose time has yet to come. Even today, most people are seeking their purpose, rather than the follow through of living or being on-purpose.
I envisioned the day when the words and concept of being on-purpose would be in the popular culture. Well, it continues to creep into everyday use more and more as the Casting Crowns article indicates. I must admit a certain measure of joy mixed with disappointment because
the general use of purpose is misunderstood and the concept / lifestyle
of being on-purpose is used far too cavalierly.
Pastor Rick Warren's work, The Purpose Driven Life popularized the use of purpose; unfortunately, it was a watered down version of the concept. Oh well, I persevere in this calling trusting the results to God.