Being clear on our life’s purpose is vital for our Wellbeing, that is your ‘ikigai’ or your 'reason for being’. This word is made up of the Japanese words ‘Iki’ meaning life and ‘gai’ which describes value or worth so literally our life’s worth. A lack of purpose can increase our risk of depression, suicidal thoughts, increase the likelihood of poor social relationships and dependance on substance or alcohol abuse.
If we are clearer we are about our purpose the more likely we are to seek out and develop our physical and mental health / wellbeing. A really important part of this whole area of life is the concept of ‘calling’ or ‘vocation’. But how can we find out what our calling might be and how do we go about seeking to fulfil it? It’s important for us to realise that we all have an overall life purpose that is common to everyone and a specific calling which is unique to us. In this talk and the chapters which it relates to in God’s Plan For Your Wellbeing Book we explore this subject in greater depth.
If this is an area where you feel you are vulnerable in, why not have a look at the chapters relating to Vocational Wellbeing in Dave Smith’s book (more details below)?
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Watch the full series here:
Listen to the Full Series here:
More episodes will be added as we progress through the series. You can watch and listen to other series and talks by visiting our media page: jubilee.org.uk/media
Why not read the book which helped us shape this series?
“God’s Plan for your Wellbeing” by Dave Smith - This book will help you delve deeper into this subject.
From the back cover:
The UK’s #1 concern, from Cabinet to classroom, is wellbeing.
Dave Smith, writing from personal experience, leads us on a 50-day adventure to improve our physical, emotional, spiritual, relational, financial and vocational health. This book is a simple and easily accessible guide for individuals and groups to take next steps towards greater wellbeing. Informative and practical, bit upon biblical principles, this guide acts as a personal Satnam in a journey towards greater resilience and a richer quality of life. We discover that God really does have a plan for our overall health and sets us on a course for a lifetime of ever-increasing wellbeing!
Recommendations:
Dave Smith is one of the most gifted Christian leaders in the UK today and I am delighted that he has produced this exciting new book to help all of us grow in wellbeing. Nicky Gumbel, Vicar of HTB and pioneer of Alpha
Dave offers bite-sized daily meditations and practical next-steps suggestions to help us on our journey of increasing wellbeing. As someone who has been through my own struggles with wellbeing, I can’t recommend this timely book enough. Simon Thomas, TV presenter, author and podcaster
Who is Dr Dave Smith?
Dave became a Christian while studying at Oxford University, where he went on to complete a doctorate in church history. He and his wife, Karen, moved to Peterborough in 1988 to start KingsGate Community church - now a large, multicultural, intergenerational, multisite church. Dave has a heart to see a revival of healthy believers and churches who in turn impact their neighbourhoods and the nations! He loves walking and is a avid Manchester City fan!
You can buy a copy here
(1) E. Diener and M. Seligman, 'Very Happy People', Psychological Science (2002), cited in Luke McKenna, Making Wellbeing Practical, p75
(2) Luke McKenna, Making Wellbeing Practical, pp75-76