Purpose

What if I told you that purpose doesn’t care what other people think?

Purpose doesn’t care about your emotions, your bad day, your stress level, or the chaos going on around you. Purpose doesn’t flinch when life punches you in the mouth. It doesn’t get intimidated by trauma, by fear, or by the darkness that likes to creep in at 3 a.m.

All purpose cares about is the goal —completing the mission — crossing the finish line.

Purpose is that one thing in your life that refuses to negotiate. It doesn’t ask for your permission. It doesn’t wait until you “feel ready.” It shows up even when you’re broken, tired, numb, or flat-out done. Purpose is that stubborn, gritty, God-wired force that keeps pulling you forward when everything else is screaming at you to quit.

And here’s the crazy thing...

Purpose will carry you even when you can’t carry yourself.

THE TRUTH ABOUT PURPOSE

There’s something about purpose that cuts deeper than motivation. Motivation fades. It burns hot and fast and disappears just as quick — like a wad of wrapping paper thrown into the fireplace. You feel it for a moment, then it’s gone.

But purpose?

Purpose is steady.

Purpose is stubborn.

Purpose stays lit even when you’re standing in ash.

And if you’re a firefighter, EMT, dispatcher, you already know what it means to live with purpose. You stepped into a life that demands more from you than the average person can understand. You ran toward the emergencies, the chaos, the hurt, the heartbreak — with zero guarantee you’d come back the same.

But here’s the part nobody really talks about:

Trauma tries to steal your purpose.

PTSD tries to convince you that what you do doesn’t matter.

It tries to make you forget who the hell you are.

It tries to disconnect you from the thing that used to wake you up in the morning with fire in your gut.

And when that purpose starts slipping, life gets real dark, real fast.

WHEN TRAUMA SMACKS YOU TO THE GROUND

The job changes you.

Sometimes in beautiful ways — courage, compassion, thick skin, love for your brothers and sisters.

And sometimes in brutal ways — nightmares, irritability, intrusive memories, hypervigilance, that heavy weight you can’t explain.

You start wondering:

• What’s the point anymore?

• Why do I feel so damn broken?

• Why does it seem like everyone else can handle this and I can’t?

• What am I even doing with my life now?

But here’s the truth trauma doesn’t want you to figure out:

Purpose is one of the strongest healing forces you have.

Not cheesy purpose.

Not Instagram-purpose.

Not “live your truth” purpose.

I’m talking about the deep-down, God-breathed purpose that’s been buried under your pain but never destroyed.

HOW PURPOSE HEALS PTSD

When you’re deep in PTSD, your brain is locked in survival mode. Purpose reminds your brain there’s still meaning, still direction, still a future.

When trauma says:

“This moment is all there is.”

Purpose answers:

“No. There’s something ahead worth fighting for.”

When PTSD whispers:

“You’re too damaged.”

Purpose counters:

“You’re not done.”

Purpose doesn’t eliminate the pain, but it gives the pain a place to go. It anchors you. It steadies you. It keeps your feet on the ground when your mind wants to drift off into the darkness.

Sometimes purpose looks like getting back on the rig.

Sometimes it looks like stepping back for a season to heal.

Sometimes purpose is helping someone else going through hell.

Sometimes it’s just this:

Take the next breath.

Take the next step.

Stay alive.

Purpose doesn’t always roar.

Sometimes it’s just a faint whisper saying, “Don’t quit.”

PURPOSE AND HOPE — THE FIRE AND THE FUEL

Hope and purpose are tied together like cereal and milk— one’s useless without the other.

Hope is belief that the story isn’t over.

Purpose is the reason you keep turning the page.

Combining purpose with hope creates something formidable. It results in resilience, grit, and an unwavering determination that says, "No one and nothing will bring me down."

Purpose gives you direction.

Hope gives you fuel.

Both keep you alive when life gets heavy.

THE PURPOSE YOU THINK YOU LOST

If nobody’s told you this lately, hear me:

You matter.

Your story matters.

Your scars matter.

Your healing matters.

Your purpose never left you, even if PTSD made it feel like it did.

Purpose may be buried, quiet, bruised, or hiding behind layers of pain — but it’s never gone.

Some seasons your purpose is to serve.

Some seasons your purpose is to heal.

Some seasons your purpose is to rebuild your life from the ground up.

But no matter what season you’re in right now…

You are here on purpose.

For a purpose.

And that purpose is stronger than your pain.

You don’t have to have it all figured out.

You don’t have to be “fine.”

You just have to keep going.

Let purpose carry you until you can carry yourself again.

Stay safe out there.

-Tom

“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28

We are a trauma-informed 501(c)(3) on a mission to bring hope, healing, and restoration to first responders and their families- Through chaplaincy, crisis response, formal training, and peer support initiatives, we strive to educate and offer support. Please consider donating today at http://www.riseupfight.org/donate