What Was I Made For?

The beauty and effect of art on the human spirit knows no limits, but we often find that art can make us ponder aspects of ourselves as pieces of creation. The new Barbie movie has been leaving viewers with many questions and opinions in different areas, but one of the most thought-provoking has been "What were you made for?" If a doll can question her purpose on this earth, shouldn't we do the same? What were we made for?

Movies Make Us Think

The beauty of movies is that it is storytelling in a form we can hear and see in action. For thousands of years, people have learned lessons, been challenged within, and grasped concepts through the art of storytelling, and movies add to that medium of learning. Perhaps this is why many of us find a particular movie we watch repetitively, because it speaks to a place within our souls that we are trying to understand more clearly through the journey of another, or it resonates a feeling of a shared expression or experience. Movies are a gift to us, and possibly instead of taking them at a passing glance, we should question what we can learn from the movies that seem to linger a little longer than we had first expected.

Are We What Others Think?

In the Barbie movie, one of the common dilemmas Barbie faces is that those around her assume things about her, and those opinions become her worth. From the start of the film, the main character, Stereotypical Barbie, becomes self-conscious when she is no longer functioning like the other Barbies. She finds that her feet no longer stand at perfect tippy-toe normal, and the other Barbies react poorly and encourage her to find the cause and solution with "Weird Barbie," who has a knack for fixing abnormal Barbies. Even further in the movie, when Barbie meets a group of teens, they tell her who she is, what she stands for, and call her harsh names without hearing more than a handful of words from her. This leads us to ask, are we the sum of what others think of us, and should we wear their opinions upon us? The answer is not simple because we are complex human beings, but at the end of the day, the simplest answer is another question, "What does God think of me, and what do I think of me?" Opinions, judgments, and assumptions of others can change as quickly as the weather, but what God offers is the only form of actual truth. His reality is the only true reality.

Who Were We Made For?

Perhaps the question we must ask first before knowing what we were made for is Who we were made for? We aren't dolls made from a plastic mold; we are artfully and uniquely made. Psalm 139:13-16 explains it: "For you created my inmost being you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful; I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be."

When we consider that David's words in this Psalm are not just imagination, but they are truth, it changes how we look at our bodies, spirits, and lives. If a Creator truly makes us to be one of a kind, then perhaps our purpose is as uniquely designed as we are. It also reminds us that we were made not just for this time and this world but also for a Creator that genuinely cares for us. We were made to love and worship God, to do this life with Him, and to live out the one-of-a-kind life set before us.

Made for Relationship

We were made for relationship. From the first days of perfection in the Garden of Eden, it was clear that we were made for relationship with God and one another. Genesis 2:18 explains God's mindset for relationship with one another, "The Lord God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him."

God already had a relationship with Adam, the first man, in the Garden, but God saw that it would be good for Adam to have a suitable partner. As human beings, we are made for relationship with one another, sharing and doing life with one another, and this is done most healthily and beneficially when we allow God to tell us who those people are. God brought Adam the partner of His choosing because she would be God's best for Adam, and when we allow Him to choose who sits at our table, we can truly experience the abundance that comes from God's best in relationship. We were ultimately made for relationship with God. In this relationship, we not only come to know more of Him, but come to find why we were made for this time, this place, and this station in life.

Made for Now

In the book of Esther, her uncle remarks that perhaps she was chosen for the role of Queen for "such a time as this," and it was made clear through her story that her station in life and the exact timing of her life were intentional. All God needed was her obedience and willingness to walk out the life set before her, and the same is true for us. Of all the years humankind has walked this earth, you were born to live in this exact time, don't think for one moment that fact is merely coincidence. You were made for this exact period in time, and your life holds value and meaning in the story of humanity. Your ideas, perspectives, and impact on others last far more than your years on this earth. Your impact is forever.

You were made for God, and you were made to be you. No one else has walked in your shoes, lived your life, or experienced what you have experienced, and no one else can offer what you have gathered in your lifetime but you. Ask God to help you experience more of His heart through relationship, and in the course of coming to get to know Him, ask Him, "Why?" Ask Him why you were chosen for this specific time, why you were born where you were, why you experienced what you have, and what purpose the answers to those questions hold in this moment or for a time yet to come. You were made to be loved by God and to live the life only you were destined to live.

Cally Logan is an author and US History teacher from Richmond, Virginia. Her works have been featured on "The 700 Club Interactive" and Christine Caine's "Propel Women," among several notable outlets. She served as a mentor for young women for several years and enjoys challenging ladies to develop deeper relationships with God and to live fearlessly and authentically. She received her B.A. Degree from Regent University. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time in nature, having genuine chats over coffee, and woodworking. Her new book, The Wallflower That Bloomed, will be available everywhere on May 1, 2024. It is set to be featured in Jesus Calling and on The 700 Club on May 28, 2024. @CallyLogan Instagram CallyLogan.com