Purpose in Life?

Have you ever wondered what your particular purpose in this life is? My husband and I were talking the other day about life and what we are supposed to accomplish from a religious aspect. We have very different beliefs about our spiritual life spans.

For instance, D. believes in reincarnation of the soul. That is, you perform your purpose in each physical life you advance to a higher level. Eventually, when your soul can learn no more, can achieve no more, you path is over and you go to "heaven". (not the Christian idea of Heaven, but something else. It is his idea, and I can't explain it right, so I am not even going to try.)

I, on the other hand, believe that most souls are here for one life span. That we are put here to perform a certain task and because it is G-d's will that we perform this task, at some point in our life it WILL happen. At the end of our physical life, we are judged. If we are judged worthy, we become one with G-d, if we are not worthy, our soul is destroyed. (To make this make a little more sense, I view G-d as energy. Which is how I justify the created in G-d's image bit. We are comprised of energy... a scientific fact. I'm not going to go into this any more unless someone wants me to.)

Some souls, though, I do believe DO return to this earth. Their tasks are so important and complicated, that it is impossible for that soul to gain the knowledge needed in one life. These are the souls that give the rest of the world something that is needed to continue. A technology, a philosophy, a martyrdom or artistic beauty, for example. When that task is completed, though, they go through the same judgment as everyone else.

I have thought about what my task is. At this point I sincerely believe it is to be a parent to my child. It is what I am good at. It is what I love. In my mind, it is the best task to have. To raise an intelligent, non-judgmental, moral and humble child into this world who may in turn be one of those long living souls... or his child may be. Who knows.

I think that this is why some people are naturally good parents. It is what they were born to be, excuse the cliche`.

Parenting may not be my ultimate purpose. I don't know. I feel that G-d has told me so, though.