by Tamra Andress

The words calling and purpose are thrown around like a frisbee these days, even when frisbee throwing is against Phase 1 Co-vid beach rules. There is an expectant receiving in the catch of our calling. But it’s not a simple a-ha moment or catch and release sport that takes place during this exchange with our Creator. It’s a rhythmic experience without a known sequence. It’s connecting variable pieces of our operating humanness to our higher-sense of self, ultimately discovering our true purpose; our ikigai.

Ikigai, pronounced – Icky Guy, and no, that’s not the Webster translation, but it works decently for a memory catchphrase for the common room of women I find myself within. This age-old Japanese ideology means “reason for being,” and is a combination of two words, iki (生き) meaning “life” and gai (甲斐) meaning “value or worth.” Therefore, the combination of these words signifies the joy in life discovered by activating your purpose and knowing your value and worth.

When joy is connected to your daily activation, living within your purpose because you are living as your fully created self, it’s the state of flow within your being. Things don’t feel overwhelmingly difficult, even if your purpose takes long hours or manpower. It’s not to say you won’t face roadblocks; we know God ensures the opposite when we walk in His authority and power (John 16:33), which is ultimately what is occurring when we’ve unlocked our Ikigai.

This concept wasn’t designed around the Christian faith. As we unpack the diagram and the associated studies that have been conducted around people who are activated within their Ikigai, you will clearly see the higher power within its structure.

 Viewing the design, you see four outer layers. I’ve called these the fundamentals of self-design.

1. What you love

2. What you can be paid for

3. What you are good at

4. What the world needs

Notice that I did not reference them in a common cyclical explanation. Through personal analysis, reflection, and coaching, the concept of counter-balance is illuminated within the diagram. Which additionally correlates to the inner connection points.

1. Passion

2. Profession

3. Mission

4. Vocation

The balance is the polar opposite identified space, which is best understood when viewing the next four layers of the diagram.

1. Delight and fullness, but no wealth. Countered-balanced by comfortable (wealth is a checkmark), but feeling emptiness (no delight of fullness).

2. Satisfaction, but feeling uselessness. Counter-balanced by excitement and complacency (uselessness), but a sense of uncertainty (uselessness).

Ikigai has been studied worldwide in populations, specifically recording large numbers of individuals exceeding average life expectancies. The overarching theme was happiness, pleasure, and delight with their daily actions and purpose. This didn’t always correlate to their job, but it was where they spent most of their active time: hobbies, reasons for existence such as family or passion, and purpose-driven work.

By pursuing an understanding of each realm of the Ikigai chart, we have identifiable opportunities to pursue our highest sense of self, our Ikiagi, which I believe is directly correlated to our identities in the Father.

When we know Him and identify ourselves as His children, we start to recognize our purposed placement here on Earth through our uniquely designed imprints. No one human can replicate another human’s Ikigai. We are instead all on our journey of living a full “happy” life filled with the fruits of the spirit that blossom within the center realm.

If you feel stuck within a specific area, I encourage exploration of the counter-circle within the diagram. For example, perhaps you are doing something you love, but have no idea how to get paid for it. Connect what you do (out of passion and mission) to your profession and vocation. If you are good at it and the world needs it, money won’t be an issue, because ultimately you are serving another person’s Ikigai. This proves another piece in the exploration of this concept – we need each other.

A fundamental need of our human spirit is belonging. Our God is a god of invitation and connection. After all, He created Man and immediately realized he needed a companion and Ezer. So, lean into the world around you. Find your sense of belonging by serving within your exceptionally designed purpose. Your passion and reason for being are because He gave you life and a seat at the table—an invitation to commune with your neighbors.

I know the state of the world may have us in a headspace of concern for living another 100+ years, but God is good all the time, and our ancestors prove that long lives rooted in Him are ultimately rich and worth it. So, cheers to celebrating more 100-year-old birthdays…wanna go play frisbee?

Resources

We’ve created a free downloadable PDF to explore the article deeper. It contains discussion questions about the topic in general terms that will give you a jumping-off point for beginning a conversation.

The second page contains a way to see the topic from a biblical perspective.

And finally, to go deeper into the subject, we have chosen a few curated resources to explore from other authors’ and thinkers’ research or perspectives.

Read. Engage. Enjoy!

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

Depending on how a gem is held, light refracts differently. At B+PC we engage in Pop Culture topics to see ideas from a new angle, to bring us to a deeper understanding. And like Pastor Shane Willard notes, we want “…Jesus to get bigger, the cross to get clearer, the Resurrection to be central…” Instead of approaching a topic from “I don’t want to be wrong,“ we strive for the alternative “I want to expand my perspective.” 

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