“What is my purpose in life?” is a question that gets replayed over and again at every stage of life. College students rack their brains trying to determine their purpose in life as all sorts of philosophies are spread out before them like food at a restaurant buffet. Empty nesters restart the quest when their children have moved out. As their health and abilities decline, the elderly often wonder what purpose they still have.
Have you found your purpose in life? It is a question that is always demanding an answer. It is always there haunting us, confusing us, bewildering us. For many it is a painful question because the answer has eluded them.
The reason why so many of us struggle to find purpose in our lives is because we keep looking to the wrong person for the solution. While it seems to make sense to look inwardly for our answer, we won’t find anything more than a mirage, a grasping at the wind.
Jesus helps us look beyond ourselves to find our purpose. You see, our purpose in life is a combination of “out of this world living” and “living our lives for others.” Jesus states our purpose for us in a book of the Bible called Matthew. In Matthew 22:37 and following, Jesus unveils that purpose. He removes the smoke and mirrors. He states our purpose with crystal clarity. He says, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” He then goes on to say, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” With these words Jesus directs us to live for God and for others!
Do you want contentment in your life? Then discover or rediscover God by getting to know him and love him personally through the good news of the Bible. Be strengthened through his means of grace, found only in his word of life (the Bible) and his sacraments of Baptism and Communion. Safeguard your soul as it yearns for the one who loves you more than you can imagine (Jesus). Use your mind to seek out ways to serve God and to serve others. Living with God’s purpose as your reason for living is living a life of amazing adventure!