"So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them." - Genesis 1:27
The creation account of Genesis 1-3 is the most beautiful and profound expression of life, humanity, and origin that I have personally ever read or come across. The Biblical author describes the Creator YAHWEH systematically ordering the universe and then culminating His creativity and brilliance with life - and the circle of it - on this pale blue dot of ours. And He does so simply by "speaking" it into being, part by part, day by day.
But while the scripture says simply that God "said, 'let there be...'" or "made" or "caused" things to be, the author takes special time out in Genesis 2 to express the creation of the humans. We were not simply "caused" or spoken into existence. We were "formed," and God "breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living person" (Gen. 2:7). The prophet Isaiah would later describe God as the "potter" and His people as "clay" (Isaiah 64:8).
"Then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living person." - Genesis 2:7 (NASB)
And if our formation wasn't already special enough, God specifically placed the humans and put them in charge of the Garden of Eden, which was literally God's special "paradise."
We do not simply have life. We are living.
We were not simply "made" or "caused." We were specially formed by Hands.
We were not simply "placed" here randomly. We were created to both manage and enjoy the best of the Creator's creation, with each other.
If you grew up in the church, you probably have some kind of "purpose-driven" theology ingrained in your psyche that says something like, "God has A purpose for your life, and if you submit to Him, you will fulfill that purpose." You might also use the words purpose and plan interchangeably in your "spiritual walk talk." I know I have for a good 85 percent of my life.
But personally, I think this is misleading theology...or at least, incomplete and mistaken.
In the beginning, God created the humans to cultivate the earth and subdue it. And we did...quite poorly. We - "the humans" - chose our "self" over our Creator and the relationship He so graciously provided, and succumbed all of His creation to the selfish pursuit of power and submission that have summoned continual death and destruction across the globe.
Yet, God in His grace and relentlessness sent His Son to carry the burden of our broken human condition on His back (kind of literally), and to show the world the extent of radical love and sacrifice that would be necessary to reverse our destiny toward darkness, and return to the Garden.
In the Garden, there is abundance. Not because God has kept an overflowing inventory "there" and has left us with scarcity "here," but because in the Garden we do not live to fill ourselves. We live to see our companions filled, and our companions live to see us filled. And with that, we are always full.
In the Garden, we walk, live, and remain in joy, knowing that our Creator AND our companions are here for us, and vice versa.
God could not see His creation of life complete without US. He made the world FOR us, to live off of and to cultivate with Him. And He also made us for each other - to have a loving relationship with Him, and our neighbors.
Your career is not your purpose. Nor is your knowledge, your spouse, or even your spiritual gift(s). If all of these things were taken away from you, what would still remain is the divine breath flowing in and out of your body (see Job). And that divine breath is LOVE, because God is Love (1 John 4:8), and His love for YOU is what created YOU (see Psalm 139:13-16).
This is why (in my opinion) regardless of who we are, where we are, what we have, or what culture we're born into, we all desire the same thing, at the end of the day and underneath our baggage: to love, and to be loved.
You, my friend, do not "have a purpose." You ARE the purpose. HIS purpose, to love and enjoy. And what else does He delight in but for you to live out His greatest commandment? Love God, and love your neighbor.
So don't worry about finding your purpose. Just BE your purpose: Love, in action.