Built for a Purpose

In the 1950s there was great excitement in the family. My grandfather, who amongst other things, was a mule breeder, had just bought a donkey from Spain for the princely sum of £700. In today’s terms it was a truckload of money.

The donkey was to be used as a stud. A couple of months later my father arrived at the farm from Zurich University where he was studying at the time.

He was curious about the donkey and wanted to check out the fine specimen. My grandfather took him to where it was ensconced.

My father was bewildered. He expected something proud, majestic and magnificent. What he saw was the exact opposite. The donkey was listless. Its eyes were downcast. Its head hung low and its ears kissed the ground. It was more Eeyore than Excellent.

He whispered to my grandfather (for fear of offending the creature or giving it a heart attack), “I can’t believe you paid £700 for that.”

My grandfather’s eyes went dark and his lips thinned. My father knew he’d misstepped and waited for the wrath of Odin to descend upon him.

Instead, my grandfather called out to one of the farm hands and said, “Bring in the mares.”

My father said that he’d never seen anything like it. When the mares entered, the listless, layabout excuse for a donkey transformed before his eyes. It shook itself and came alive in an instant. It was as if Clark Kent had gone into a telephone booth and Superman had appeared. It puffed itself to its full height and its ears, amongst other things, shot straight up. This was a 158 kilogram pure-bred stud muffin. All vestiges of Eeyore gone!

With a glint in its eyes, the donkey went to work.

You see, this stud donkey was built for a purpose … in this case, to cover mares. In the moment of fulfilling its purpose it was alive, awesome and beautiful.

Have you ever seen a car that has sat in a garage for too long? It looks dusty and worn. It lists on forlorn tyres. To get it started is a mission. And it takes a while to get it into its stride. And, you have to sometimes replace parts that have rusted out.

Take a look at a house that hasn’t been lived in for a while. It too looks listless and lost. You get that dilapidated feel as you look at the grime that weighs it down. You notice a shutter teetering on its hinges and cracked putty battling to hold the window panes in. The weeds have won the war and laid waste to a once pristine garden.

I’m sure you get it. A stud-donkey, a car and a house are built for a purpose. The donkey was built to do, uh, well what studs do, the car to be driven and the house to be a home. Simply, they are meant to be used. And, when they’re not fulfilling their purpose they look listless, lifeless and lost.

The same can be said for you and me. When we’re not doing something that makes our hearts sing, we too are listless, lifeless and lost. I have to believe that each of us plays on this planet for a purpose. We’re here to give meaning to our lives and those that we come into contact with.

I think that we’re all searching for something. Something that will make us come alive, something that will put us in a state of awe and gratitude and something that makes this journey totally worthwhile.

The trick to this life that we live is to wear out and not rust out so that when we put our head on the pillow for the last time, there’s a smile on our face that’ll follow us into eternity. Follow me and let’s go and do something outrageous … let’s get off the couch and go find our purpose.