The answer to the important question “What is the meaning of life?” may surprise you; finding purpose in life has less to do with “us” than we’d think…
In fact, the search for the meaning of life has become somewhat of a cliché in our society. There is a deep human need to know the answer, especially in a world filled with heartache.
If you are like me, you may have already developed a satisfactory answer to this question. Your answer is likely based upon your particular world-view and experiences. Also, if you are like me, you may have found yourself struggling as that answer unravels with additional life experience.
For me, I remember believing I had answered this question through my high school and college years. Specifically, I found the meaning of life to be - the pursuit of beauty in our lives. This seemed to be logical since it consumed my mind at the time. In addition, the world I saw around me glorified beauty in absolutely everything - people, places, and things.
The more life I lived, however, the more my ”answer” began to fail me. A lack of purpose in life swelled considerably as I realized my inability to achieve the meaning of life on which I had settled. Specifically, I was unable to surround myself with beautiful people, places, and things to the extent that would satisfy my soul.
Taking this scenario to its logical conclusion, I began to minimize the meaning of my particular life. Of course, this is a path towards depression and darkness, rather than an empowering theme for a life well-lived.
Then, by the grace of God, I gained knowledge and understanding of the REAL meaning of life! Most impressive, I realized I had it backwards… the meaning of life actually had little to do with what was going on in my own head, my own objectives, and my own goals. Rather, the meaning of life had everything to do with something much greater than myself… God!
I am privileged today to answer the question “What is the meaning of life?” for you. I hope I can help you avoid the kind of confusion, heartache, and foolishness that characterized me as a misguided youth in the past. However, I have to warn you that knowing the answer is only the beginning of applying it to daily life.
So here it is...
The meaning of life for each and every human being on this planet we call Earth is to glorify God.
God created each and every one of us for a single purpose… to glorify Him. Of course, HOW we do that is up to us. In fact, there are infinite ways that we glorify Him. Some of us do this through great achievements in athletics… some of us do this through creating music, dance, or other displays of art… some of us do this by striving to be the best fathers, mothers, husbands and wives we can possibly be…
The point is that through ALL we do, we have a central focus that is to glorify God. With His glory as our core motivation, we can literally achieve our purpose for life in everything that we do… no matter how small it seems.
I hope I have helped answer the question “What is the meaning of life” for you today. I realize that knowing the answer is only the beginning. Next, you want to apply this important piece of knowledge in your daily life. Please share your experience and successes in the comments below...
