In 2024, my co-worker introduced the term “ikigai” to me following her spring trip to Okinawa. Coming from an environment where your purpose is what others deem acceptable; I resonated with this philosophical term deeply.
Ikigai
- Ikigai is a Japanese Philosophical Term
- The Oxford English Dictionary defines ikigai as “a motivating force; something or someone that gives a person a sense of purpose or a reason for living.”
- The term ikigai gives meaning to our existence – it is a form of self-discovery
- Everyone has an ikigai
Ikigai is a Japanese term defining one’s attempt at living an intentional life. Ikigai recognizes that every person has a combined idea of what they love to do, what they are great at doing, how they can contribute to society, and what they can be paid for doing.
The idea that everyone has a purpose was encouraged before the term ikigai – purpose was instilled since the creation of Earth. When God created the Earth, he created mankind – Adam and Eve. Adam and Eve served a great purpose to God, they were more than just a creation. The Lord blessed them with gifts. Adam and Eve were given love, free will, and discernment of good and evil.
Adam and Eve were a great representation amongst many other Biblical figures of the Lord’s dedication to his creation. His first creation of mankind, the ultimate embodiment of our Lord’s love. They served the purpose of multiplying His love and being the foundation for generations of humans placed to create, serve, and trust in the creation of God. What started as a seed of creation blossomed into many beautiful seeds of creation.
Genesis 1:27-28 is where we witness God’s creation to mankind and set purpose for Adam and Eve.
And God made humankind; according to divine image he made it; male and female he made them. And God blessed them, saying, “Increase, and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it, and rule the fish of the sea and the birds of the sky and all the cattle and all the earth and all the creeping things that creep upon the earth (Genesis 1:27-28).
When I curate a visual depiction of ikigai, I visualize flowers and their beginning. There are various species of flowers in the world. Some flowers are native to Asia and there are others native to the Middle East – there are flowers native to Alaska with many cold months. Nonetheless, every flower serves beauty and significance wherever God placed the seed to grow.
There are seasons where we see flower species prosper, and others do not. Some seeds need more sunlight and tons of water to grow, whereas others need less sunlight and minimal water. No matter the needs or habitats, all seeds have the opportunity to blossom at their appointed time. Every flower seed is a beautiful creation of God with an opportunity to find its soil and blossom.
We owe it to God to search our hearts and allow him to reveal our ordained purpose. I write and create this blog with the belief that our ikigai is just a few experiences away. We cannot truly know ourselves without knowing God – he will show you your gifts. His creation for mankind was not to fill a spot, but to fulfill his greater purpose.
The foundation of our purpose is our ikigai. It is discovering what the Lord has created us to be passionate and driven about. The lies of this world will mask your ikigai with hurt and lies – it will give you a false narrative of where you belong. Let the Lord show you the truth, open your heart for him to make it plain and known. we live in a world where our purpose is clumped with others’ purpose. It is fitting to get your undergraduate degree and become a lawyer or nurse. What if the Lord is calling you to something far greater – a path that requires faith and true courage. A path of utter submission to him. What if we have been so set on going with the flow of society that we have not stopped to ask him what HE wants us to do?
My goal for anyone reading this is to search your heart. No matter how confident you feel in the path that you are on – allow the Lord to challenge it. Fast, meditate, and spend time in silence searching for where the Lord is calling you. Ask Him to show you not what your purpose is, but who he created you to be. Ask the Lord who he intended for you to be when he knitted you in your mother’s womb. You could have always been a shy kid, but the Lord is calling you to boldness – leave the comfort of this world and step into his role for you. If his answer is scary, it is something that you never intended to pursue – open up to him and let him know. He is a patient God, and he knows that what he asks is not always easy (Psalm 103:8).
Your ikigai – your set reason for living is greater than your occupation or title. It is your character and experiences; it is the love that you have allowed the Lord to let into your heart and flood into every area of your life. I challenge my readers to put trust not in themselves but in Him – the great I AM.
In search of my own ikigai, I have felt insecure and incapable. I grew up in search of a purpose without even believing I really had one. I will continue to dive into the depths of my experiences throughout this blog and how it has established my purpose and continue to; however, it was the last year when the Lord challenged me to question the motives of my heart. In a moment of meditation, I asked the Lord how to step into what He’s calling for me and I gently began to write out:
Dream the dreams you will have to face when your heart outweighs your brain. The thoughts that were once how will I now become because he is the Great I AM. There is more to learn and lots to love, fight for a greater purpose – start by believing you are enough.
So, exit this page by telling yourself that you are enough. You do not have to wonder how you will do it because you serve a God who will navigate that concern for you. He just needs you to surrender your dreams to Him and submit to His will. Take that first step of submission today – ask the Lord how you personally can submit your dreams and heart to him and give him time to respond. Pray for a heart that recognizes his voice and how to respond. Your ikigai is not an immediate discovery, it will take living each day in the present and drawing near to the Lord. But there is always a beginning. So take that first step today!
Ask yourself – what is my ikigai?
Thank you for reading. God Bless.