Artwork & Written by: Liz Fabiola, age 15

In life we face challenges dreams problems goals people and a million other things daily.

Sometimes they are new, and other times they are repeated, but we know that each of them has a meaning. From the simplest situations to the most complex moments, each happens for a reason and has an impact on our lives.

But what does it mean to find our purpose? Is it something easy or complicated? The first thing I can say is that to find our purpose we must follow a very particular and uncertain path. At times the path is short, but at other times it might seem endless. Sometimes we find stairs to advance, and sometimes we encounter obstacles that will challenge us. The key to going forward on this path is to first know ourselves, know what we are passionate about, and to find everything that moves us and drives us forward. Next, we must decide to what extent we are willing to fight for each aspect and discover which ones have the most value for our lives. Above all, we have to surround ourselves with the right people.

I have always thought that life is like a puzzle; sometimes all the pieces fit and sometimes they don't. But unlike puzzles, life is not just about following instructions and making sure the pieces fit together perfectly to achieve the same result. Life is much more complex, since the decisions and actions we take affect us and others. Personally, I have always looked for the pieces of my life that fit together, and despite my young age, I can say that I have found some essential pieces that have fit together perfectly. I say this because I started achieving my dreams when I was 9 years old. The first thing that I did was study English, that was a big step for me and the main reason for my following achievements. After that, I began to take part in several volunteer projects, and from there I began to understand my purpose in life. Of course none of this would have happened if God were not present in my puzzle. He is the piece that fits perfectly in my life. When I need peace he is there and he is always by my side to show me the best way to continue building my life.

I grew up in a Catholic household, and since I was a child my mom told me that I have to be a grateful person, especially with God, because he is the reason we are here and he is the one who helps us at all times. I am grateful to God, because he has given me the opportunity to meet wonderful people, who love me authentically and support me in every step I take. For me, they are undoubtedly key parts in my journey to find my purpose.

However, just as there are people who will be eternal friends and fit perfectly into your great puzzle, there will also be imposter pieces, who appear to be crucial, but in reality, never belonged there. In my life, I have not only known wonderful people, but I have also encountered some bad people disguised as good. These situations have undoubtedly been very difficult to heal from, and have left me with very deep wounds. But even though these people were very important to me, in the last couple months I have been able to gain the courage necessary to turn my life 180 degrees and completely remove them from my puzzle, because they hurt me and it was no longer a healthy friendship. I will not deny that it hurt and that it was difficult to overcome, but I was able to see again how incredible God is, because he showed me that in life it is not always necessary to desperately look for the missing pieces, and that many times we must put on pause the construction of our lives.

There will be moments when perhaps we will believe that we are stuck without certain pieces, and that their absence will negatively affect our course. But instead of falling into despair, we must take a break and wait until we are ready to continue. We must never forget that above all, the most important part of the process in finding our meaning and purpose is to feel good about ourselves and build our lives step by step. Then if at any time a piece no longer fits, we just have to look for a new one that can give new meaning and color to our lives.

Some people think that the things we do are what give us value. The truth is that we are the ones who give value to the things we do, because each of us is different and we have a special touch. Everything we do has meaning and is important, because we were born to make the world a better place and sooner or later the time will come to discover our value.

In this life, each one of us has a different purpose than the others, and we know that life is more complex than a puzzle and a confusing riddle, but from the hand of God everything becomes easier and safer. We just have to trust him and not doubt the faith that we have within us about the power of God.

Liz Fabiola, age 15, is from Paraguay. When she is free she really likes to draw, paint, read, write, and study maps, cities, and flags from different countries. Liz loves learning new languages and traveling to meet new people, new places, and their cultures. She is passionate about teaching other children to read and doing volunteer work.


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