God has filled them with skill to do all kinds of work as engravers, architects, embroiderers of fine linen, and weavers—all of them skilled workers and designers.
Exodus 35:35
ikigai: the Japanese word & concept meaning “the reason for being.”
I recently learned this word. Have you heard of it? Learning new words and concepts in different languages helps us broaden our understanding. The fact that this word exists in Japanese and not in English tells me that many Japanese people have wrestled with this concept in great depth. Perhaps when a teenager, college student, or young adult is struggling with what to do with their life, they start with one of the four big circles… “What will pay me?” or “What am I good at?” Maybe if you’re fortunate enough, you can begin approaching one of the overlapping areas like “Vocation” or “Mission.” Very few people in the world achieve the center of their ikigai, or in other words, how God designed them to be in heart, mind, body, and spirit. May you continue to find and pursue your own ikigai as you live out your days.
