There is more to Life than eating, drinking and self gratification. You must discover what you lack and why you are empty.
Why am I here in this world? What is the purpose and meaning of my existence?
If these are your legitimate questions and are seeking an honest answer, you are on the right track. In asking these, you are actually getting into a topic that God wants every man or woman to consider.
That is because understanding the purpose and meaning of life and fulfilling it will bring about peace and satisfaction that many seek but do not find. It is this peace and satisfaction that God wanted you to have and enjoy.
Many of us go about life from the point of awareness, through elementary school, through high school, through college, and even through adulthood not knowing the answer to this important question. Parents should ask these questions from their children and teach them the biblical answer.
Knowing the answer and fulfilling it is foundational to a happy contented life. But, the reality is, we take this very important matter(s) for granted. If you know someone who does not know and understands his life’s purpose and life’s meaning or if that is you, you know that there is an emptiness, a void, a vacuum that shouts for attention.
Knowing your purpose in life is the key to a fulfilling existence. It is the root from where joy can spring forth that is the anti-dote to a depressed, purposeless existence.
Consider These Things That Many Would Say Their Purpose and Meaning of Life is.
- To be successful in my chosen field or profession
- To become financially independent, own a house, cars, things, or even become rich
- To gratify and enjoy myself fulfilling my every desire
- To gain respect, recognition, be popular and well-liked with many friends and followers (as in social media)
- To have a spouse and raise a family
- To be able to leave a legacy
The list goes on depending on the particular bent of the person asked. But, if these things satisfy and are the true purpose of our existence, why do we see, across many generations that those who have attained such achievements were (are) unhappy?
We are talking about men and women of renown who ended their lives intentionally or unintentionally in their dissatisfaction with life and in their unhappiness. For example, Anthony Bourdain, a successful and renowned TV personality hanged himself in the middle of a lucrative career.
We have also seen other successful individuals who took or lost their lives in their unhappiness or dissatisfaction with life including Amy Winehouse, Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, and even Elvis Presley.
Check Out the Following Points Made by the World Health Organization
- Close to 800,000 people die due to suicide every year, which is one person every 40 seconds. Suicide is a global phenomenon and occurs throughout the lifespan. Effective and evidence-based interventions can be implemented at population, sub-population, and individual levels to prevent suicide and suicide attempts. There are indications that for each adult who died by suicide there may have been more than 20 others attempting suicide.
- Suicide occurs throughout the lifespan and is the second leading cause of death among 15-29 years-old, globally.
- Suicide is a global phenomenon; in fact, 79% of suicides occurred in low- and middle-income countries in 2016. Suicide accounted for 1.4% of all deaths worldwide, making it the 18th leading cause of death in 2016.
If you discount from these shocking statistics those who took their lives while suffering from mental illness, it may be safe to assume that the remaining number is still high.
The statistics say 79% of suicides occur in low and middle-income countries. That means 21% occur in affluent countries. We know for a fact that a few well-to-do, successful, popular personalities have committed suicides.
So, we conclude that many are dissatisfied and unhappy with life, rich or poor, popular or unnoticed.
The Wisest Man Felt the Same
The writer of the Book of Ecclesiastes, King Solomon, had personal experience on this topic. King Solomon was given wisdom by God, unlike any other man. He was also given great wealth, power, and renown.
In the Book of Ecclesiastes, he wrote this “I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and indeed, all is vanity and grasping for the wind.” (Ecc. 1:14).
Grasping for the wind means attempting to hold in your hands something that does not have a body or substance. It is like trying to hold air. Stated in another way, grasping for the wind is pursuing something which when you reach or attain it, will prove to be futile or worthless.
In chapters 1 and 2 of the book, he outlined all the interests he pursued and the things he possessed and accumulated but after achieving them, he did not find fulfillment or lasting satisfaction in any of them. His conclusion with regards to everything under the sun: “All is vanity and grasping for the wind”.
You name it, he tried it but was not satisfied
1:16-18 – in much wisdom is grief and an increase in knowledge increases sorrow (In short, degrees and PhDs are not it.)
2:1 – to enjoy pleasure, sex included does not satisfy. Solomon loved many foreign women, clung to them in love, and had 700 wives and 300 concubines (1Kings 11:1-3) but he concluded also saying “All is vanity”.
2:2 – to gratify self with wine (You know how that goes.)
2:4-6 – to accomplish great works in construction, agriculture, gardening, science, music, or vocation (Solomon did all these successfully but it did not matter.)
2:7-8 to acquire servants, herds and flocks, silver and gold, singers and entertainers (He had many, as in thousands.)
2:10 whatever his eyes desired, whatever pleasure, he did not keep away from it. (He tried all things, as he said, that are all vanity.)
To many, including this writer, who have not achieved such things, our belief is “if we only achieve these things, surely, we will be satisfied and happy.” But, King Solomon, who experienced them all, is telling us- “these do not satisfy“.
So, leaning from Solomon, we conclude that the pursuit of wisdom, knowledge, pleasure, great achievements, riches, or anything in this world, though important, should not be our life’s purpose. That is because achieving these in themselves does not bring about true fulfillment and satisfaction.
If all these things do not bring satisfaction and fulfillment, what does? Well, let us take a look at the scripture that answers this question. In Isaiah 43:6b, it is written: “Bring My sons from afar, And My daughters from the ends of the earth –
Everyone who is called by My name, Whom I have created for My glory; I have formed him, yes, I have made him.”
So, in this text, God stated that His purpose for creating His sons and daughters is – for His glory. Now, the word “glory” in scripture has a few different meanings but all relate to the root word which means “weighty” or “heavy, with bulk” or with “great substance”.
The antonym for it is flimsy, lightweight, no substance or immaterial or insignificant. In the current usage here, “glory” means to reveal His true worth or weight.
Stated in another way, Isaiah 43:7 will read partly “Whom I have created to reveal who I am”. That makes His purpose for a man very clear. God created man in His image and to reveal Him, His (God’s) true self and nature. A parallel idea is given in the New Testament.
The Lord Jesus said: “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify (reveal) your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16). So, if as you live your life, your good works are getting noticed and those looking attribute it to God whom you serve and follow, then you are achieving your life’s purpose.
Now, let us talk about the second meaning of “glory”. Glory or glorify could also mean to acknowledge, give credit or honor, (also, respect, acclaim, gratitude) where such honor and credit is due.
So, Isaiah 43:7 will read partly “Whom I have created to honor Me”. This is also a true statement. Colossians 1:16b says “All things were created through Him and for Him.” This verse states that creation was done through Him, the Lord Jesus and that the intention was to give the creation to Him, for Him to enjoy, like as a gift.
If as a hobby, I created a chair, could I not have the pleasure of sitting on it and enjoying it? The same is true for God. As Creator, God expects man to respond to the good He did by acknowledging Him among others, as creator and giver of life, as the author of salvation, and many other wonderful things.
In the extreme, if one says there is no God or if one says, my achievement is my own making and I achieved it with nobody’s help, then that person is failing to glorify God.
For, as scriptures say in Deuteronomy 8:18 “And you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you the power to get wealth…” Everything is from Him and to acknowledge and thank Him for something we received gives glory to Him and accomplishes His purpose in us.
But…
How Can Knowing the Purpose and Meaning of Life Turn to Satisfaction and Fulfillment?
In itself, knowing your life’s purpose does not cure your depression, unhappiness, or dissatisfaction in life. It is in fulfilling your life’s purpose that change can take place. Let us see how we can find satisfaction and fulfillment in fulfilling our life’s purpose.
A Step in the Right Direction
Many think of God as a cosmic killjoy; that He does not want you to enjoy life and be happy. The problem is the happiness we seek is the temporary type, oftentimes motivated by our own lust and more likely influenced by the enemy.
He is a liar and promotes the lie that the sin we do does not harm us and that in it we will be happy. But the joy and happiness that he offers lead to sin and eventual destruction.
On the other hand, the happiness God wants us to have is timeless and true. The bible calls it joy, inexpressible, and full of glory (weighty). So, before us is a choice.
Shall we choose happiness that is momentary and has dire consequences or the joy that springs forth from a heart that is right with God?
Knowing your purpose is a step in the right direction. Yes, it is the first step of many that if pursued will bring happiness, joy, and fulfillment. Let us look at the steps we need to take to be able to glorify God.
First, we must first know God
We cannot glorify or reveal a God we do not know. The first step towards getting true satisfaction or fulfillment is to first become acquainted with God. We cannot praise and thank God for things we did not know He did for us.
What shall we thank Him for? What honor does He deserve? If to glorify is to reveal Him, how can we reveal someone or reflect someone’s grace and love if we are not intimately close to that person?
So, first, we need to seek God and know Him. That means, we need to open our bibles and get to know Him from there. As we seek Him, we will get to know His true nature, how much He loves us, what He did on the cross at Calvary, what His promises are, what His plans for us are beyond this life, and many more. It is when we see the goodness of God that we will learn to appreciate Him and be thankful.
As we immerse ourselves in His word, faith will form, we will get to know His ways and we will learn to walk with Him and eventually begin to trust Him.
Second, make a personal response to what you learned about Him
I firmly believe that if anybody seeks the Lord truly in his heart, he will find Him. And, if that seeker finds Him, he will make the right decision about what he found out.
In His word (in scriptures) the Lord issued many invitations to start a relationship with Him. Those invitations are for everyone. Look up these few examples among many: John 7:37-38, Matthew 11:28-30, John 6:35, John 15:4-8, Isaiah 1:18-20.
To respond or ignore His invitation is the greatest decision that we get to make. This decision not only impacts eternity but our happiness and peace while here on earth. That decision is up to you.
As you can already conclude, those who come and follow Him are able to glorify God and accomplish their life’s purpose. If you do the same, you will feel your guilt is taken away.
You will hear what God and His Son Jesus have done for you. You will hear His promise of eternal life and life in heaven with Him. You will learn His ways and find yourself being built up in the faith. In a while, you will –
- Learn to submit your will to Him
- Learn to wait
- Learn to be content
- Experience the love, peace, joy He gives
- Build you up in hope
It is important to note that depression is a state in the here and now. It focuses on the person’s current misery and difficulties. One distinctive of the Christian faith is the Lord’s teaching about waiting and focusing not on the current challenges but focusing on Him and on the future glory that will be revealed.
This is real, not theoretical. We read and know of brothers and sisters in the faith who went to eternity battling persecution or cancer or turmoil with joy. They clung to the word of God that teaches that suffering is momentary and that if we cast these burdens upon Him, He will see us through.
So, the faith He gives is priceless in combatting the lack of direction, emptiness, depression and other challenges that results from not knowing your purpose and meaning. In lieu thereof, He gives us a true and living hope rooted on the certainty of His word and promises.
Final Words
Those that labor and seek fulfillment in the things of this world may achieve what they seek. But these things do not bring true peace, joy, and hope. In Matthew 6:25-33, the Lord Jesus gives us wise counsel.
He said not to be pre-occupied with things of this world- life, food, clothing and pursuing these with relentless vigor. Instead, He said to seek His kingdom and His righteousness and He will be the one to provide these things to us afterward.
The Lord Jesus said there is no real fulfillment in riches and the things of this world. When we pursue and achieve those things, we do not give glory to God but, trusting in our own strength, take the credit for ourselves and deny that it was God who provided them.
In doing so, we do not only fail God and dishonor Him, but we place ourselves in an unhappy, discontented state where we think what we have is not enough and must strive for more and more. We may have material abundance but it does not satisfy,
That life is empty and as Solomon said, it is grasping for the wind. It is this emptiness and absence of purpose that causes many popular, beautiful, and successful people to end their lives or lose interest to live.
That kind of life has no peace, no joy, and no fulfillment. It is the exact opposite of the goodness of God that He has intended for us to have.
So, we have seen that God has had a purpose for each and every one of us since the beginning of time. That purpose is to reveal Him and give glory to Him. Of course, we are free to continue our lustful pursuit of materials things, if we choose to do so.
God gave even that, the ability to choose. And, life is about making choices. So, everyone is offered a choice. We can continue in error and live a life of rebellion against Him. Or, we can choose to accept we were wrong, repent to abandon that life we lived in error, and seek and pursue God and the truth. It is never too late.
The choice was made clear to us by the Lord Himself in Matthew 7:13-14. It is not clouded, unclear, or indistinguishable. There are 2 gates. One is wide and easy and many walk in it.
The other is narrow and difficult. Only a few find it. This narrow way is where the Lord wants us to walk. In it, there is life, peace, and joy. In it, we will be able to glorify Him! When we do, we would have lived a life of purpose.
This message is also captured in a song entitled – “Fill my cup Lord”, which is taken from John 4:5-26. Listen to this:
