The Meaning of Life

Why am I here? What is the meaning of life? What’s my purpose in life? Will people remember me?

All of these questions have crossed my mind at one point or another. I’m guessing they’ve crossed yours too. Through a series of prayers and experiences, God has answered my questions. Not all, but some. I’m hoping that some of the answers that have helped me will help you as well.

We’ve all seen graffiti on trains, names drawn onto bathroom stalls, etched into trees. We’ve all seen the various ways that people try to leave their mark. At first, I didn’t understand why people would ruin something in order to have their name displayed. So, when a friend at a summer camp told me she was going to sharpie her name onto her bed, I asked her why.

She said, “It’s so they’ll remember me.”

And really, which one of us doesn’t want to be remembered? But the problem is that we’re leaving our marks in the wrong places. Any marks we leave here will be temporary and—despite our best efforts—we’ll eventually be forgotten by mankind.

Everyone is designed with a God-sized hole inside of them, and people try to put all these different blocks into it. Some put drugs, money, alcohol, or parties, and some try to wedge in things that aren’t necessarily bad—exercise, a romantic relationship, school, sports, virtually anything. But none of these quite fit into that hole—none of these will fulfill you, will complete you. Nothing can but God.

In God, we find our purpose and identity. He has a plan for each and every one of us, and His plan for us is better than anything we could imagine for ourselves. We’ll love his plan for us as much as He does, because we’re made to complete this task that He’s assigned to us. This is what gives us a purpose and our life a meaning.

Now, this doesn’t guarantee that we’ll be remembered throughout history. After all, so many important names have been lost somewhere in the past, and eventually everyone’s name will be forgotten by this world. But God doesn’t forget. When you have the recognition of the Creator of the universe—the One Being who knows all of your mistakes, yet loves you more than anyone—then who else’s recognition do you really need?

“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 a hope and a future.”

-Jeremiah 29:11

So, find God’s plan for your life. And make your mark.

Did I cover this topic well? What do you think the meaning of life is?

Attributions: 

<a href=”http://www.flickr.com/photos/50946274@N02/7451917134″>WHISTLE BLOWER</a> via <a href=”http://photopin.com”>photopin</a> <a href=”https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/”>(license)</a>