The church conference venue buzzed. People chatted and laughed as they excitedly greeted one another. Others busied themselves by moving chairs around and putting cups out, making sure that everything was ready for the conference.

Chelsea sat quietly against one side in the hall, taking in the sights and sounds around her. She felt strangely comfortable, even though she didn't know anyone else there. She had a smile on her face as she witnessed the joy and excitement of everyone around her.

Okay God, I'm here to find myself and draw closer to You. Please take over and guide me along this journey. I feel so lost and empty. I don't know who I am or where I need to be. As I sit here right now, I feel as if I have no future and all my dreams have been destroyed. I thought that by now I'd be happily married and a mother with a toddler. Now I have nothing and no one. I'm completely on my own. I feel like a ship without sails, lost at sea in a storm. Please come guide me. I don't know what I'd do if You deserted me too. Please God. Hold my hand and lead the way.

Sudden movement to her right brought Chelsea's attention back to the conference and she gave a little jump.

"Excuse me," smiled a gorgeous gentleman with big blue eye. "Is someone sitting here?" he asked, pointing to the empty seat next to her.

Chelsea's eyes scanned the hall and she was quite surprised to see how quickly it had filled up. There were only a few scattered seats available here and there, but not many.

"Oh no," she shook her head blushing, "I'm alone... I mean I'm not with anyone..." Chelsea groaned inside, wishing she could dig a hole and jump in it. What was it about this man that made the English language desert her?

Chelsea took a deep breath to compose herself. "What I wanted to say, but found it very difficult, was that you are more than welcome to sit here. The seat is available." Chelsea couldn't stop herself from blushing. She'd never been so tongue-tied speaking to someone before.

"Hi, I'm Hank," smiled the handsome man, extending his hand as soon as he sat down next to her, "I'm also here alone." His smile was blinding, very sincere and immediately put Chelsea at ease.

Just then a voice over the speaker system requested all guests to take their seats as the conference was about to begin.

Here we go God, Chelsea prayed, time for You to work a miracle, please.

The pastor of the church made a short speech welcoming everyone and said a prayer, blessing the conference and all the hearts that it would touch, heal or open. He then welcomed the guest speaker on stage and everyone clapped with great excitement.

A beautifully graceful woman stepped on stage and crossed over to the podium. The way she moved was so captivating that Chelsea couldn't take her eyes off of her. She moved as if she were floating, not walking.

"Good morning everyone," she greeted and even her melodious voice amazed Chelsea. "Thank you all so much for finding time in your busy lives to bless me with your presence. My name is Grace Reeves and I'd like to tell you all about how I met God and drew closer to Him.

"I grew up in a very privileged household. What that actually means is that I was a spoiled brat who got everything that I wanted. And people loved me not for who I was but rather for the amount of money my parents had."

Everyone snorted at Grace's honesty and Chelsea was pleasantly surprised with her openness to share something so private with everyone there.

"I grew up lonely, but never alone. Let me explain that in more detail. I was always surrounded by people, but never anyone who ever had something meaningful to say or share. I watched Swan Lake as a child and fell in love with ballet. I was hooked from that moment on. Ballet was my life. My parents spared no expense and enrolled me into the most elite studio and paid for only the best teachers. I had private lessons because my parents couldn't live with the thought of me sharing my valuable class time with others who also happened to share my passion."

Chelsea noticed the sadness in Grace's eyes as she spoke of her isolation as a child. When you think about being extremely wealthy and the children of that affluent family, you never stopped to think about the fact that they are not happy. Maybe that is where the saying 'money can't buy you happiness' comes from.

"So, there I was. A little girl who grew up dancing every day of her life, and loving it. I must admit that I was actually very good and was even accepted into Julliard's Ballet Programme. Thinking back on it now, I wonder if I was actually accepted or if my parents 'bought' my slot. Anyway, I was about to graduate from Julliard, and had just heard that I'd been selected to appear in a royal performance, when I was involved in a terrible car accident with my parents. They were in a heated discussion about why I should have been chosen for the lead dance role instead of someone else, who in my opinion was a much better dancer than I was, when a semi-truck hit us head on."

Gasps were heard all around the hall and many had covered their mouths in shock. Some were even crying, reliving the moment with Grace.

"It all happened so fast that my father didn't even have time to swerve. I don't remember much, only the feeling of loneliness and shock as I woke up in the hospital. I blacked out as soon as the truck hit us, which the doctor said was actually a good thing. I'd broken my back, shattered both my pelvis and my left leg, not to mention a huge gash on my forehead. My doctor cried when she told me that I'd probably never walk or dance again. She'd probably noticed that I was still in my ballet leotard and tights as they rushed me into the hospital after the accident. I was in the ICU for a few days after the accident before my doctor thought that I was strong enough for them to tell me that both my parents were killed instantly."

By now everyone had tears streaming down their cheeks. There wasn't a dry eye in the hall. Even Hank reached into his pocket for a tissue at one stage, offering Chelsea one too.

"My parents were all I had. I didn't have a boyfriend, my mother insisted that I concentrate on dancing and school instead. I didn't even have a close friend that I could contact. My parents were both only children and all my grandparents had passed long ago. So, it was just me."

Chelsea's heart broke when she heard that Grace had to go through all of that alone. How do you come back from losing everything? Then she realised that she'd just explained her own situation and immediately knew why the conference was the perfect place for her to heal. Thank you, God. Thank you for never leaving.

"My depression level was so high that I was put on suicide watch at the hospital. The daily physio therapy was so painful that I wanted to die every time I was forced to move, let alone walk. I eventually made friends with a little girl named Chloe. She was no older than 10 and looked like a little angel. I only found out that she was terminally ill after chatting to her for an entire day. She had a rare brain cancer only found in children. Her positive attitude and 'can do' spirit blew me away. How could she be so on fire for God when she was dying? I couldn't wrap my head around it. After a few days, I eventually mustered up enough courage to ask her why she'd continue to follow God when He wasn't saving her. Her answer blew me away!"

Grace took a quick break to have a sip of water before continuing.

"Chloe asked me a simple question. Why are you here? I initially started explaining about my car accident when she stopped me, giggled and explained that she was speaking about 'here' as in why was I put on earth. After thinking about it for a while I realised that I had no clue and couldn't answer her. So, I thought I'd ask her the same question to find out if she had an answer. Her answer changed my life. So, now is when all of you get your notepads out and write down what I'm about to tell you."

Grace waited patiently while everyone scurried to get their notepads out and pens ready.

"I'm sorry to bother you again," said Hank turning frantically to Chelsea, "but I seem to have misplaced my pen. I think it might have fallen out of my notepad in the car. Do you by any chance have a spare one that I could use?"

"Of course, I do," replied Chelsea as she quickly retrieved one from her handbag, "I have a habit of always packing an extra one in. It's probably the nerd in me." Hank chuckled at Chelsea's remark as he accepted the pen she offered.

"Thank you so much, you're a lifesaver." Hank's hand gently brushed Chelsea's as she handed the pen to him and her cheeks heated up again.

"As I was saying," started Grace again when she saw that all eyes were back on her, "Chloe's answer started me back on my road to recovery. It was simple and true. She said that the purpose of your life is far greater than your own personal fulfilment, your peace of mind, or even your happiness. It's far greater than your family, your career, or even your wildest dreams and ambitions. If you want to know why you were placed on this planet, you must begin with God. You were born by His purpose and for His purpose. The search for the purpose of life has puzzled people for thousands of years. That's because we typically begin at the wrong starting point - ourselves. This got me thinking. So, for the next few days I started slowly speaking to God and asking Him to lead me. You see we ask self-centred questions like What do I want to be? What should I do with my life? What are my goals, my ambitions, my dreams for my future? But focusing on ourselves will never reveal our life's purpose. Only God can reveal that and until we learn to turn towards Him and focus on what He has planned, we'll never find true happiness and fulfilment. We'll never find the answer to our 'why am I here' question. Just like all our journeys with God are different, so are the reason for our existence. The story that God has written for each one of us is unique and chosen by Him alone."

The hall erupted in applause as Grace finished off. The buzzing of excited voices chatting started all over again.

The rest of the conference was all about ways of drawing closer to God and better hearing His voice. So much valuable information that seemed like common sense, but we never thought about it like Grace and Chloe did.

Thank you for leading me God, but mostly for loving me first. Thank you that You have a plan just for me and that You will hold my hand every step of my journey. Please draw me closer and let Your will be done. This was Chelsea's prayer as she drove home after the conference, knowing that her life was about to change.

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Our God is an awesome God. His timing is perfect and so is His plan for our lives. We all just need to remember to shift our focus from ourselves onto Him.

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