Written by Guest Contributor, Jim Martin | August 14, 2025
I once lived in a small, modest house that was incredibly special to me. It was my home, and it held a cherished place in my heart. My room was decorated exactly how I loved it, and I had my own special play areas. We eventually moved when I was nine, and while the new house was great, it just wasn’t the same.
A few years ago, I drove by my old house, hoping to revisit some of those special memories. To my shock, I found a pile of ashes where my childhood home once stood. The house had burned to the ground, and the chance of ever walking through that front door again was gone forever.
A year later, I drove by again and saw that the land had been leveled. The ashes were gone, and all that remained was an empty lot. However, a bit later, as I drove by with my kids, I saw a brand-new house on the lot. It filled me with genuine happiness to see that the area would once again be a place for new memories to be made. From a sturdy structure, to ashes, to level ground, and finally, with permission to build, a new place of joy arose.
This experience taught me a powerful lesson about purpose and fulfillment. We are called to be stewards of the life and purpose God has given us. Many of us struggle to find that purpose. Often, we find our purpose during life’s turning points, such as a retirement, the loss of a loved one, or a personal crisis. When we are forced out of our comfort zones, we sometimes find something unexpected from the Lord.
We often strive to find our “comfort place” and fight to hold onto it. This fight can sometimes prevent us from seeing something new that the Lord wants to bring into our lives, and it can stop us from living the life we were truly made to live. If you are searching for fulfillment and the life you were meant to live, consider that some things in your life that once stood strong need to be leveled to the ground. With permission to build something new, you now have space to allow God to establish a new place of joy in your life.
Bio:
Jim and his wife, Angi, live in Clearwater, Florida. This is a new season of life for Jim and Angi. They moved to Florida from Illinois in 2024, where they had spent their entire life. Jim enjoys working in enrollment management, helping students at the Christian Leaders Institute successfully launch their college degrees. He also works with Wela Connect, which helps people find joy, purpose, and generosity in their second half of life.
