Real World Issues

The Meaning and Purpose of Life

"My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth; Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; and in Your book were all written the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there was not one of them." (Psalms 139:15-16).

As former President Clinton stood before an MTV audience, the atmosphere abruptly turned serious as an 18 year old girl named Dahlia stood and made the statement, "It seems to me that Kurt Cobain's recent suicide exemplified the emptiness that many in our generation feel. How do you propose to teach our young people how important life is?" This very important question is asked one time or another by everyone. We all go through it. "What is the meaning of life? Why am I here? Is this it? Go to school, learn a career, spend the rest of your days working at a job, then you die?" President Clinton told that group of young people that we don't need to know life's meaning; we only need to feel important and feel good about ourselves. His answer was far from complete and lacked substance (no disrespect intended). I want to know what my purpose is, why God placed me here, and what He wants me to do with my life. Good feelings about ourselves will come and go. I want something with eternal value; something I can hold on to.

A public school system embracing evolution and rejecting God has left in its wake two generations seeking to find itself. Most children grow up thinking that they are the product of chance; hence there is no divine purpose or reason for living, other than just to carry on the species. Is it any wonder then that suicide and depression are epidemic among our society, even our youth? "Why do I exist?" and "What is the meaning of life?" are the heartcries of this generation.

Your search for significance and purpose is one of the most important journeys you can take. The psalmist said that he was made skillfully by God, and that in God's book were written the days that were ordained for me, before they came into being. God has a plan and a purpose for your life. Only He can give true meaning to your existence, and satisfy the longing in your soul. When He fashioned you skillfully, He placed within you certain gifts and talents for which He has a purpose. God has told us in His Word, "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Then with this declaration comes a promise, "Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." (Jeremiah 29:11-13 NIV).

True Life Can be Found in Christ

"For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein." (Hebrews 13:9).

The word "occupied" in the verse above comes from the Greek word "peripateo" which means "to regulate one's life, to conduct one's life, to be occupied or to walk." The writer of Hebrews tell us that it profits nothing to people whose hearts are established in things other than the grace of Christ, and have also centered or built their lives around such things. What is your life built upon? Is your life centered around your boyfriend or girlfriend? your education or goals? your home or your family? your hobby or a cause? I guarantee you, if you have not already experienced it, that there will come a time in your life where your boyfriend or girlfriend will disappoint you, you will be disallusioned with your goals, your hobby will no longer interest you, your cause will suddenly not seem so important, or a family member will let you down. None of these things can satisfy the longing within. Jesus echoed these words when He said, "For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?" (Mark 8:36).

There is something ominously strange about the expression "I need to find myself." It is often used by teens or young adults in pursuit of the meaning of life or their place in life. But peace comes, not in "finding" your life, but in losing it. "He that findeth his life shall lose it; and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it." (Matthew 10:39). The true meaning of life can be found in Jesus Christ, for He declared "I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." (John 10:10). Not just life, but life more abundantly. The word "abundantly" means "more than is necessary, or over and above." And though mates or goals or friends or family or hobbies can become tarnished or disappointing over time, Jesus Christ remains "the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever." (Hebrews 13:8). You can find life in Him today.

St. Augustine said, "You made us for yourself, and our hearts find no peace until they rest in You."

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