--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We seldom realize fully that we are sent…" description: "\"We seldom realize fully that we are sent to fulfill God-given tasks. We act as if we were simply dropped down in creation and have to decide to enterta..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b2a/henri-nouwen-600_conviction_we-seldom-realize-fully-that-we-are-sent_2877875.png" --- # We seldom realize fully that we are sent to fulfill… ![“We seldom realize fully that we are sent to fulfill God-given tasks. We act as if we were simply dropped down in creation and have to decide to entertain ourselves until we die. But we were sent into the world by God, just as Jesus was. Once we start living our lives with that conviction, we will…” quote by Henri Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b2a/henri-nouwen-600_conviction_we-seldom-realize-fully-that-we-are-sent_2877875.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b2a/henri-nouwen-600_conviction_we-seldom-realize-fully-that-we-are-sent_2877875.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b2a/henri-nouwen-600_conviction_we-seldom-realize-fully-that-we-are-sent_2877875.png) > “We seldom realize fully that we are sent to fulfill God-given tasks. We act as if we were simply dropped down in creation and have to decide to entertain ourselves until we die. But we were sent into the world by God, just as Jesus was. Once we start living our lives with that conviction, we will soon know what we were sent to do.” [Henri Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-nouwen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. We are purposefully placed in the world by a divine creator, and recognizing this gives meaning to our actions. **In simple terms:** We have a God‑given purpose. Key Takeaway Live with purpose and service. Themes purpose spirituality service Mood reflective inspirational Type philosophical spiritual When to use this quote - career choices - volunteering - personal reflection Key Concepts theology existential meaning Questions to Reflect On - What purpose guides you if not divine? - How does this view affect daily decisions? A Different Perspective Assumes belief in God, limiting secular relevance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Conviction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conviction/) [Creation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creation/) [God given](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god-given/) [Jesus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jesus/) [Start Living](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/start-living/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [Everything changes radically from the moment you know yourself as being sent into this world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/everything-changes-radically-from-the-moment-you-know-yourself-as/) [Henri Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-nouwen/) > [“Most of what you do to fulfill God’s purposes will require acts of faith.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-george/most-of-what-you-do-to-fulfill-god-s-purposes-will-require-acts-of/) [Jim George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-george/) > [God wills us to have everything. As we express life, we fulfill God's law of abundance, but we do this only as we realize…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-holmes/god-wills-us-to-have-everything-as-we-express-life-we-fulfill-god-s/) [Ernest Holmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-holmes/) > [We ought to be doing all we can to make it possible for every child to fulfill his or her God-given potential.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/we-ought-to-be-doing-all-we-can-to-make-it-possible-for-every-child/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [Not everyone is granted the opportunity that each of us deserves: to fulfill our God-given potential.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayanna-pressley/not-everyone-is-granted-the-opportunity-that-each-of-us-deserves-to/) [Ayanna Pressley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayanna-pressley/) > [“developing a life in God’s presence above all else is the only way to fulfill our God-given destinies. Keys to our callings are released…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heidi-baker/developing-a-life-in-god-s-presence-above-all-else-is-the-only-way-to/) [Heidi Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heidi-baker/) > [You are not here in the world for yourself. You have been sent here for others. The world is waiting for you!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-booth/you-are-not-here-in-the-world-for-yourself-you-have-been-sent-here/) [Catherine Booth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-booth/) > [“We are not sent into the world to air our moral prejudices.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/we-are-not-sent-into-the-world-to-air-our-moral-prejudices/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [We are sent into the world to live to the full everything that awakens within us and everything that comes toward us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-o-donohue/we-are-sent-into-the-world-to-live-to-the-full-everything-that/) [John O'Donohue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-o-donohue/) > [what are we all sent into the world for, but to be of use to each other?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-eden/what-are-we-all-sent-into-the-world-for-but-to-be-of-use-to-each-other/) [Emily Eden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-eden/) > [Man was sent into the world to be a growing and exhaustless force. The world was spread out around him to be seized and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-hubbel-chapin/man-was-sent-into-the-world-to-be-a-growing-and-exhaustless-force-the/) [Edwin Hubbel Chapin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-hubbel-chapin/) > [We were not sent into this world to do anything into which we cannot put our hearts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ruskin/we-were-not-sent-into-this-world-to-do-anything-into-which-we-cannot/) [John Ruskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ruskin/) > [Man is sent into the world to perform his duty even at the cost of his life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/man-is-sent-into-the-world-to-perform-his-duty-even-at-the-cost-of/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [God is your safety and your home. You are well embraced." Start living the multi-formity of life from this place. If you can hold…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/god-is-your-safety-and-your-home-you-are-well-embraced-start-living/) [Henri Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-nouwen/) > [If you feel a great loneliness and a deep longing for human contact, you have to be extremely discerning...and ask yourself whether this situation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/if-you-feel-a-great-loneliness-and-a-deep-longing-for-human-contact/) [Henri Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-nouwen/) ## More by Henri Nouwen > [We are not the healers, we are not the reconcilers, we are not the givers of life. We are sinful, broken, vulnerable people who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/we-are-not-the-healers-we-are-not-the-reconcilers-we-are-not-the/) [Henri Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-nouwen/) > [The more we touch the intimate love of God which creates, sustains, and guides us, the more we recognize the multitude of fruits that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/the-more-we-touch-the-intimate-love-of-god-which-creates-sustains-and/) [Henri Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-nouwen/) > [Feelings of guilt dominate our work as peacemakers we cannot last long. But when we have opened each other's eyes to the great human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/feelings-of-guilt-dominate-our-work-as-peacemakers-we-cannot-last/) [Henri Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-nouwen/) > [...we all want to hear stories, from the moment we are born to the moment we die. Stories connect our little lives with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/we-all-want-to-hear-stories-from-the-moment-we-are-born-to-the-moment/) [Henri Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-nouwen/) > [I have found it very important...to let go of my wishes and start hoping.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/i-have-found-it-very-important-to-let-go-of-my-wishes-and-start-hoping/) [Henri Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-nouwen/) > [Simply being with someone is difficult because it asks of us that we share in the other's vulnerability, enter with him or her into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/simply-being-with-someone-is-difficult-because-it-asks-of-us-that-we/) [Henri Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-nouwen/) > [Somewhere we know that without silence, words lose their meaning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/somewhere-we-know-that-without-silence-words-lose-their-meaning/) [Henri Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-nouwen/) > [Jesus says, "Keep your heart on the kingdom first. Keep your heart on God's love. Keep focused on the fact that you are God's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/jesus-says-keep-your-heart-on-the-kingdom-first-keep-your-heart-on/) [Henri Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-nouwen/) > [This sounds very simple and maybe even trite, but very few people know that they are loved without condition or limits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/this-sounds-very-simple-and-maybe-even-trite-but-very-few-people-know/) [Henri Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-nouwen/) > [“The more preoccupied we are with security the more visible the force of death becomes, whether in the form of a pistol beside our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/the-more-preoccupied-we-are-with-security-the-more-visible-the-force/) [Henri Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-nouwen/) > [If you feel a great loneliness and a deep longing for human contact, you have to be extremely discerning...and ask yourself whether this situation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/if-you-feel-a-great-loneliness-and-a-deep-longing-for-human-contact/) [Henri Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-nouwen/) > [I choose L'Arche; L'Arche chooses me. I would be dead if I weren't here. I need people to love me and care for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/i-choose-l-arche-l-arche-chooses-me-i-would-be-dead-if-i-weren-t-here/) [Henri Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-nouwen/) > [The truth, even though I cannot feel it right now, is that I am the chosen child of God, precious in God's eyes, called…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/the-truth-even-though-i-cannot-feel-it-right-now-is-that-i-am-the/) [Henri Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-nouwen/) > [In a world so torn apart by rivalry, anger, and hatred, we have the privileged vocation to be living signs of a love that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/in-a-world-so-torn-apart-by-rivalry-anger-and-hatred-we-have-the/) [Henri Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-nouwen/) > [Where true inner freedom is, there is God. And where God is, there we want to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/where-true-inner-freedom-is-there-is-god-and-where-god-is-there-we/) [Henri Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-nouwen/) [Explore all 452 Henri Nouwen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-nouwen/) ## More Conviction quotes > [Democracy is based on the conviction that man has the moral and intellectual capacity, as well as the inalienable right, to govern himself with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman/democracy-is-based-on-the-conviction-that-man-has-the-moral-and/) [Harry S. Truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-s-truman/) > [Once you pull the trigger, you've got to throw balls aggressively and with conviction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-smith/once-you-pull-the-trigger-you-ve-got-to-throw-balls-aggressively-and/) [Alex Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-smith/) > [I've been around in public life for a long time. I think people know what I stand for. They know that I have strong…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-turnbull/i-ve-been-around-in-public-life-for-a-long-time-i-think-people-know/) [Malcolm Turnbull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-turnbull/) > [“Desert are you, deluge are you, in a crowd of fakes, only truth is you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/desert-are-you-deluge-are-you-in-a-crowd-of-fakes-only-truth-is-you/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [For a successful revolution it is not enough that there is discontent. What is required is a profound and thorough conviction of the justice,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-r-ambedkar/for-a-successful-revolution-it-is-not-enough-that-there-is-discontent/) [B. R. Ambedkar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-r-ambedkar/) > ['Peace on earth, good will toward men' - democracy must cling to that message. For it is my deep conviction that democracy cannot live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-d-roosevelt/peace-on-earth-good-will-toward-men-democracy-must-cling-to-that/) [Franklin D. Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-d-roosevelt/) > [No physiologist who calmly considers the question in connection with the general truths of his science, can long resist the conviction that different parts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/no-physiologist-who-calmly-considers-the-question-in-connection-with/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [ Beneath everything else, North and West, there ran a profound, unvoiced, almost subconscious conviction that the \[American\] nation was going to go on growing-in… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-catton/beneath-everything-else-north-and-west-there-ran-a-profound-unvoiced/) [Bruce Catton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-catton/) > [Nor would anybody suspect. If was one thing all people took for granted, was conviction that if you feed honest figures into a computer,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/nor-would-anybody-suspect-if-was-one-thing-all-people-took-for/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [When you fight to give your family bread, that's not passion anymore: that's conviction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoel-romero/when-you-fight-to-give-your-family-bread-that-s-not-passion-anymore/) [Yoel Romero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoel-romero/) > [If you know the differences between an oak and a poplar, a spruce and a pine, down to the needles... you are able to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-allen-lawson/if-you-know-the-differences-between-an-oak-and-a-poplar-a-spruce-and/) [T. Allen Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-allen-lawson/) > [We need the conviction to be able to think for ourselves and to take action outof our own sense of responsibility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/senora-roy/we-need-the-conviction-to-be-able-to-think-for-ourselves-and-to-take/) [Senora Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/senora-roy/) > [The law of England has established trial by judge and jury in the conviction that it is the mode best calculated to ascertain the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-bentham/the-law-of-england-has-established-trial-by-judge-and-jury-in-the/) [Jeremy Bentham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-bentham/) > [If you are going to flip something, you must have the courage of your convictions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-child/if-you-are-going-to-flip-something-you-must-have-the-courage-of-your/) [Julia Child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-child/) > [We embark unhesitatingly on the path, in a direction that is absolutely right and urgent, supported by everyone, in the knowledge that this path…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yehudi-menuhin/we-embark-unhesitatingly-on-the-path-in-a-direction-that-is/) [Yehudi Menuhin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yehudi-menuhin/) [Browse all 2,157 Conviction quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conviction/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We seldom realize fully that we are sent to fulfill God-given tasks. 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