Purpose of life is not something that someone teaches you at schools. It is not something that you'll find in your Friday or Sunday classes at mosques or churches. It is not even something that could be imparted by any on earth, be that your parents, or elders, or even friends for that matter. And don't even make the mistake of discovering it through any of your self-help books or the pseudo masters these days who themselves are quite unaware of what they're selling. Purpose of life is something so exclusive that it can only be discovered by you and you alone. It cannot come from outside. The inspiration has to come from within. It is something that you eventually reach by the means of trial and error, a lifelong experimentation with truths that you've personally experienced at deeper levels. Your purpose is where you find the spark of your life, a meaning to your existence, an ecstasy you would want to repeat whenever you could. It can't be found anywhere else except from within. You earn it. You win it yourself. And finally when you think you've found your purpose, you are taken to an even higher realm. There isn't one grand purpose of your life. You're under constant evolution, from one peak to another, from one cloud to another, from one heaven to another. Just keep singing your song and stop borrowing from what the world has to offer in its platter, even if it be of gold or silver...

Random Xpressions

Rejection

“How do you handle rejection?”

It was an honest question. Being the smart *ss that I am, I went for the laugh with my answer.

“Badly.”

Witty. Sarcastic. And completely true.

Because my standard response to rejection involves replaying it over and over. Trying to figure out why they rejected me, what I could have done differently, and why I always do this to myself (both getting rejected and replaying it).

Getting stuck in a moment that I didn’t like the first time. And (as an added bonus) making myself feel awful in the process. “Badly,” as it turns out, is pretty accurate.

Why? Because I’ve fallen for one of the classic life traps. Without really meaning to, I’ve chained my opinion of myself, my well-being, to what other people say and do.

What makes this trap easy to fall into is that it lies so close to one of the wisest things we can do in response to mistakes and rejections – giving ourselves an honest and compassionate review. So that we don’t repeat our mistakes. Making sure that we’re following the will of God, that we’re fulfilling our purpose.  

But instead of focusing on whether what we did actually should have been rejected (because it was a mistake, because we were off course), we get stuck in our feelings about it. Because rejection hurts.

So how should we respond? Jesus shows us in today’s Gospel, by how He responds to being rejected.

Jesus and the disciples are headed to Jerusalem. Jesus is following the will of God. Fulfilling His purpose.

When they’re rejected by one of the villages on the way? The disciples are hurt. They’re angry.

And they respond in a way that is all to familiar for most of us. They lash out. They want to get back at the people who rejected them.

But not Jesus. Jesus checks the rejection against what God has called Him to do. Using it as a moment to make sure that He is still fulfilling His purpose. Letting the rejection serve its only useful role.

And then? Jesus keeps doing what God has called Him to do.

Without ever responding to the people who rejected Him.

After using the rejection to check His course, to make sure that He’s still following the will of God. Jesus doesn’t get upset at the people who rejected Him, much less try to get back at them.

Jesus keeps His focus on where it needs to be. On God and God’s purpose for His life. And moves on.

Jesus even rebukes the disciples who want to bog down in the moment, who want to get upset about the rejection. Why?

The rejection has served its purpose. There’s no need to even remember it, much less get upset about it.

Because rejections are just mile markers on the highway. And nobody gets upset about mile markers.

Today’s Readings

When you go dark for years,you tend to shine brighter than before thats why no reconizes.

I love the universe,

With all its stars and galaxies,

Its endless expanse of mystery,

Its beauty that fills my heart with awe.

I am but a small part,

Yet I feel its love,

Holding me close in its embrace,

As I am held within its boundless grace.

I am BEGGING younger drivers. drive carefully. give yourself room. for fuck's sake use your turn signals and don't fucking weave thru traffic. this is not a video game, this is real life and if you get into an accident, you could get killed or kill someone else VERY easily

a lot of YA and fantasy stuff has always been a little cringe and silly but at least it used to be cringe from the heart instead of designed in a lab to get teens on tiktok to use a certain sentence from it

Of the 19 hijackers who carried out the Sept 11 attacks:

15 were from Saudi Arabia (a powerful/oil-rich country the U.S. works hard to maintain diplomatic relations with)

2 were from the United Arab Emirates (also a powerful/oil-rich country the U.S. works hard to maintain diplomatic relations with)

1 was from Egypt, 1 from Lebanon.

None of the hijackers were from Iraq.

None of the Sept 11 hijackers were Iraqi.

None of the 9/11 hijackers were from Iraq.

if this post gets 10 thousand notes before the end of February 2024, I'll finally finish writing my very first book and send it to a publisher by the end of this year

The OnPurpose Club is a newsletter and online community that Avery began in July 2023.

The OnPurpose Club is an archive of me sharing excerpts from my upcoming book, "Your Life, Your Purpose, Your Way" that helps people discover their purpose in life and give them the confidence and next steps to walk into their purpose. Every week, this newsletter will provide you with the inspiration needed to live your life, your way.

Everything you’ve been through has been preparing you for something bigger at play.

✨Discover Your Purpose✨

The Barbie movie really said. Yes you will grow up and childhood wonder will vanish. Yes you will grow up and learn to hate yourself, your body, your awkwardness. Yes you will grow up and lose your confidence and certainty and sense of purpose. Yes you will grow up and the world will seem a bleaker, lonelier place every day, and society will seem bleaker and lonelier every day, and you won’t understand what went wrong in the span of just a few years, what took you from a happy and secure young girl to a sad, uncertain, scared grown woman.

And yet. You will learn to find beauty again. You will find joy in not having a purpose, in building a purpose for yourself. You will find beauty in connection, with the people and the world around you. You will learn to love signs of ageing as proof of a life well lived, of experience and happiness. You will take that little girl by the hand and tell her “I know, this isn’t what you thought it would be, but it’s real. Let me show you how beautiful it can be.”

On fire

“I have come to set the world on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing!”

Today’s Gospel opens with an odd quote from Jesus. At least, it’s one that doesn’t sound right coming from the image that too many of us have of Jesus. The bland, “meek and mild,” edited, safe version.

It’s a version that conveniently ignores the Jesus that calls out the hypocrites. The Jesus that drives the moneychangers out of the Temple with a homemade whip. The Jesus that flips tables.

A version that offers good advice. Maybe some mushy stuff. But nothing uncomfortable. Certainly nothing that would challenge us to change much of anything.

It’s a version that protects us from one of the major dangers of Jesus’ teaching. One of the central themes of His earthly ministry. Calling us back into relationship with God.

It’s a dangerous thing, to have a relationship with God. And I mean the real thing, not the bland, “meek and mild,” edited, safe version that we can control.

Because a relationship with who God really is, means letting go. It means letting go of the fake, edited, safe version of God. It means letting go of all of the limits that we’re putting on God.

And letting go of all of the limits that we’re putting on ourselves.

Because if we take off the limits. If we truly open ourselves up to God. Then we will become who God made us to be.

We will do the things that God is calling us to do. With God. Relying completely on His wisdom and His strength.

When we do, we will set the world on fire.

“Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire.” – St. Catherine of Siena

Today’s Readings

Mr. Riordan, it is truly a pleasure getting to experience your second draft.

Preserve [ added to inprnt ]

The Joker was apprehended, sitting on the ground as Batman guarded him, but the kid--"Bruce Wayne's newest ward, how tragic! Hehehe!"--was nowhere to be found. Nightwing and Red Hood desperate searched the warehouse until a shuffling noise grabbed their attention.

A kid, black haired just like the kid in the Joker's broadcast, crawling out of a pile of boxes. "Is it over?" the boy asked quietly.

Nightwing guided him to the only exit, unfortunately walking past the boy's own kidnapper. "Yeah, kid. It's over. Come on-"

Like a shot, the boy rushed the Joker and kicked him right in the balls.

The Joker wheezed like a dying squeaky toy. Red Hood froze. Nightwing immediately snatched the boy up by the armpits, but all that did was give the boy the height to attack again, punting Joker in the jaw. The clown went down and cracked his head on the floor. He did not get back up.

There was a moment of silence before Red Hood roared with laughter, his helmet distorting the sound.