How to Finally Find Fulfillment as a Christian: Understanding God’s Will

After I didn’t get accepted into the grad program I thought was the end-all, be-all, I was so lost. This was what I was “meant to do”, what I dreamed about doing.

When that dream shockingly didn’t pan out (I was sure I’d get in since I had good grades), I felt truly lost. I felt unsure of my purpose, and to be totally honest, unsatisfied with my life.

I thought grad school would bring me closer to fulfillment. Because in my eyes, fulfillment meant having a meaningful career. In reality, I had no idea how to find fulfillment as a Christian. 

This experience of being denied entrance to the counseling program rocked me but taught me one of the most valuable lessons of my life. I learned how to find fulfillment in life. Fulfillment wasn’t found in school or a certain job. It was found in pursuing my true purpose in God’s will as a Christian.

After reading this, you’ll feel encouraged because you’ll learn how to live out God’s will, which will allow you to live a fulfilling life. We’ll go over what fulfillment even means, how to find it by pursuing our purpose (God’s will), and action steps so that you can leave this page with practical tools to find fulfillment.

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What is Fulfillment?

What does fulfillment feel like? Fulfillment seems broad and vague. Doesn’t it mean something different to everyone?

On the surface, fulfillment has a lot to do with developing your full potential as a person. It’s the full development of YOU. It’s feeling satisfied with your life.

To Christians, the definition of fulfillment expands beyond what you just read. If you’re wondering how to find fulfillment as a Christian, it feels like knowing and living your purpose. But isn’t it hard to identify our purpose?? (We’ll talk about that in the next section.)

God’s Will and How it Related to Fulfillment

I want you to know that fulfillment is not tied to circumstances like the job you’re working, your financial status, or your success at completing goals you set out for yourself.

Fulfillment doesn’t come when you seek success. It’s not about making a lot of money or chasing after a life that society deems ideal.

Instead, fulfillment is found in pursuing God’s will for your life. God put you here for a purpose, and living it out is your job.

The saying “God’s will for my life” used to stress.me.out. because I couldn’t fathom how I was supposed to figure out exactly what He wanted me to do with my life (namely, my career).

I didn’t know what one thing He decided for me was. How was I supposed to know?! He certainly wasn’t talking to me in plain English telling me what career path I should take.

(I misunderstood God’s will and the word purpose. I always tied it to career, but remember that fulfillment is not tied to circumstances like what kind of job you work.)

So: do not let the phrase, “God’s will” freak you out. I’m here to save you the years of stress I endured trying to ascertain the meaning of that.

Tip: Use scripture cards to replace stressful thoughts with affirmations of God’s promises!

If fulfillment is found in pursuing God’s will for your life, then let’s dive into how to figure out God’s will.

Side Note: If you’re new to Christianity and want the basics, I’ve already written about that.

Finding Fulfillment as a Christian Through God’s Will for Your Life: Figure Out Your Purpose

This seems like suuuuch a big topic, but I’m going to let you in on a little secret about exactly how to find fulfillment as a Christian: the answer is only four words long!

My struggle to understand how to be “in the will of God” was so real and intense. I wish someone had just stopped me from my overthinking frenzy and said these four words to me:

Love God, love others.

Friend, it’s really THAT simple.

God’s will for your life isn’t one specific thing that you have to figure out.

It looks less like this: Live in Virginia, get a Master’s degree in Social Work, work as a non-profit director, lead the children’s ministry at church, and make enough money to take off for one month each year to go on a trip.

And it looks more like this: show up authentically and fully in WHATEVER place I find myself in, showing God’s love and bringing Him glory.

And doing that (being authentic in WHATEVER place you find yourself in, showing God’s love and bringing Him glory) will bring you fulfillment!

A book that was instrumental for me in driving this concept of God’s will and my purpose home was Own Your Everyday by Jordan Lee Dooley.

How to Find Fulfillment as a Christian

…If you feel unsure of your purpose, unfulfilled or unsatisfied with your life, clueless about God’s will for you, I have two things to say:

1. Love God, love others- in any and every circumstance you’re in, and then, you will be in God’s will!
2. Read the book: “Own Your Everyday” by Jordan Lee Dooley. (Reading this book is what prompted me to write this blog post. It genuinely, radically shifted my mindset and clarified my purpose!)

Your purpose on this earth is not to do x, y, and z with your life to please God. But rather, your purpose is to love God and love others wherever life takes you. So if you’re still wondering how to find fulfillment as a Christian: love God and love others wherever life takes you.

This means that you can work a dead-end job and still feel satisfied (fulfilled) with your life because you are living out your God-given purpose by showing up fully each day and shining your light as a Christian in that environment.

This means that you don’t have to get hung up on the many decisions you have as an adult for the direction of your life. You can pursue any avenue and still be in the will of God, living your purpose, and feeling fulfilled if you are living a life that makes God proud.

All He wants from his sons and daughters is for them to live out His purpose for them of loving Him and loving others. Live in a way that’s pleasing to him and guess what?! You’re in His will.

| Related Reading: 34 Best Books on Finding Your Passion so You Can Live Out Your Purpose in Life

Action Steps to Feel Fulfilled in Life

Okay, so now that you understand what God’s will for your life is, that your purpose is living out His Will, and that living that purpose will lead to fulfillment… Here are some action steps for how to live a fulfilled life:

1. Pray about finding contentment in your circumstances

Remember what I said before- how you can work a dead-end job and still find fulfillment. Even if you don’t love the circumstances of your life right now, that doesn’t mean feeling fulfilled is out of the question for you.

Fulfillment doesn’t hang on circumstances. It’s not situational, and that’s great news! And because of that, you can find contentment in crappy circumstances. Similar to the story I opened with about not getting into grad school.

If I knew then what I know now, I could have absolutely found contentment and even fulfillment in those unexpected and disheartening circumstances. You can do this too in your life. Instead of focusing on manifesting what’s best for your life, go to prayer.

Ask God to help you accept where you are in life right now, even if it’s not ideal, because He has you in that particular spot for a reason. He wants you to love Him and others right where you are in that situation. And when you do that, you’ll begin to feel content because you’ll feel you’re living your purpose.

| Related Reading: 3 Misconceptions about Prayer SHATTERED + 3 Tips for More Meaningful Prayer

Pray for contentment consistently, and God will absolutely help you with that!

Tip: Try using a journal to write down your prayers. I keep one, and when I read back through it, it’s incredible to see how many prayers God has answered!

2. Love God and love others right where you are

May not seem like much of an action step at first glance, but trust me here.

If you’re feeling unsatisfied and unfulfilled right now, start practicing this: love God and love others. 

Even if your life isn’t what you want it to be right now and you feel no fulfillment, do these two things:

1. Start deepening your relationship with God. Get the Bible app, do some devotionals, start talking to God more consistently (more on prayer life here), join a church and actively attend, maybe volunteer. Draw near to Him.
2. Show genuine love to those in your life right now. Coworkers, neighbors, friends, tough family members. Display yourself in a way that makes God proud (glorify Him). Treat people around you kindly and with love.

Doing these things will bring you fulfillment. This is your calling as a Christian. It’s really that simple. What you do in life alongside these things is just the vehicle in which you carry out #1 and #2.

And you can do the things above no matter where you are in life, whatever season you’re in! I did this in my job.

No, being an Employment Specialist by day wasn’t my dream job (good thing fulfillment isn’t attached to career), but I was able to show my coworkers and clients love through my work, and I was actively deepening my relationship with the Lord during this season of life too, so I felt fulfilled in that.

I’m pursuing the very blog you’re reading in this season of life too, and in that, I can love God and others, so that brings me fulfillment.

I could have chosen to pursue a personal development blog or trained to be a masseuse- the circumstance doesn’t matter. My purpose is the same. And fulfillment follows that purpose.

3. Merge what you love with your purpose

The last action step you can try to start living a fulfilled life is to do what you love in tandem with loving God and others.

1. Take a few minutes to journal some activities that feel life-giving to you, skills you have that you enjoy using, or things you’re passionate about.
2. Write down one way you can infuse your purpose (loving God and loving others) into one of those things from #1.
3. Go do that thing!

Here’s a quick example:

1. Playing piano, writing, learning from books and podcasts, baking, quality time with my husband, organizing and planning, and supporting the growth of kids and young adults.
2. I can use my interest in and passion for organizing and planning to create and set up a fundraiser for the youth ministry. OR I can love God and others by sending out homemade loaves of banana bread with a verse on them around the holidays. OR I can use my blog (writing) as a way to reach many people with the messages from the Faith section.
3. Then I would go do one of those things and I’m positive that it would feel fulfilling and rewarding to me and fuel me even further into God’s purpose.

Let’s Bring it Home

If you were feeling unsatisfied with your life or unsure of your purpose at the start of this post, at this point, you are hopefully feeling much more sure and encouraged because you know how to feel fulfilled in life: pursuing God’s will for your life of loving God and loving others.

We’ve walked through exactly what it means to be fulfilled, how to understand God’s will for your life (and that it’s not some super-hard-to-figure-out thing), and practical steps you can take to feel more fulfilled- right where you’re at.

I hope that you take this with you and that it changes your perspective on how to feel fulfilled. It’s truly freeing to recognize that fulfillment is independent of life’s circumstances.

Related Reading:

34 Best Books on Finding Your Passion so You Can Live Out Your Purpose in Life

Tired of Life’s Pressure? How to Surrender to God

How to Stop Finding Your Identity in Other Things and Discover Your Identity in Christ