It’s the age old question, asked by nearly every person throughout every period of history: is there a purpose to this life?
Even individuals who experience great wealth and prosperity still struggle with a sense of restlessness, and question the meaning of life. This is because regardless of earthly success, everyone faces the same reality: death. And if this life is all that there is—if death is the end, with nothing after—then there cannot be any real meaning or purpose in life. Nothing you can do will prevent death’s ultimate victory, and therefore, life is lived in vain.
Thankfully, this is not the story Christianity tells.
Christianity claims something entirely different. Not only do we have purpose in this life, but we have eternal purpose. With Christ, our life has abundant purpose, but without him, it has none.
Why is this the case?
We are God’s creation. When he created us he created us to fulfill a specific purpose. One which he desired Adam and Eve to begin carrying out. Unfortunately, Adam and Eve chose otherwise (often referred to as the Fall). Ever since, humankind has been trying, and failing miserably, to live a fulfilling life apart from God. Humans have tried to create an alternate purpose for living – something that will fill the void that only living a life according to God’s purposes can fill. This is why despite society’s claim that wealth, prosperity, fame, and sex will make a person happy, more individuals than ever are hopelessly depressed.
C. S. Lewis, in Mere Christianity, put it this way.
All that we call human history—money, poverty, ambition, war, prostitution, classes, empires, slavery—is the long terrible story of man trying to find something other than God which will make him happy. . . . The reason why it can never succeed is this. God made us: invented us as a man invents an engine. A car is made to run on petrol, and it would not run properly on anything else. Now God designed the human machine to run on Himself. He Himself is the fuel our spirits were designed to burn, or the food our spirits were designed to feed on. There is no other.
So what must we do to find purpose in life? Turn back to God and his originally purpose for us.
God knows what is best and he alone can give us eternal purpose. Once our life on earth ends we will enter into eternal life with him, and this life, he promises, will be free of death, sorrow and crying; there will be no more pain (Rev. 21:4). This is the hope we have in Christ! When we dedicate our lives to him it makes life here on earth meaningful. Death no longer has the final say. God does.
Also see:
About Jesus
Know God Personally
Video and blog inspiration by ExploreGod.com.
