Finding Purpose in Life: Legacy

(Evgeni Dinev - FreeDigitalPhotos.net)

Another way we seek purpose in life is through our legacy.  The picture above probably strikes you as it does me - it looks like something that should be in the Lord of the Rings movies.  Here in the U.S., "ancient" ruins like this are often surrounded by a fence and accompanied by some sort of marker that tells us what it is we are looking at.  In Europe, this can also be true, but oftentimes ancient ruins like this can just be found resting on a hillside somewhere, unidentified to all expect the locals who know the true stories.  My brother who lives in France has told me about biking through certain regions where there are old castles, parts in disrepair, that have been uninvestigated for years.  But for any who take a moment to reflect, there would likely stir up thoughts like, "Who built this", "How long did it take to do that hundreds of years ago without our modern construction equipment", and "What was the architect saying by creating this structure?"

There is something within us that desires to last.  The famous poem Ozymandias by Shelley tells just that story, and yet the struggle that we all face in making something truly last.  Just a few weeks ago I spoke to a group and asked them to pay attention to the latest death or even tragedy in Hollywood, and then to see how quickly - no matter how famous the star was - the media moves on past that death on to whatever else is seen as new under the sun.  The reality is even the most famous movie star or athlete seems quickly forgotten by the masses just days or weeks after he or she is gone.  And so one has to reflect, "Can we really leave a lasting impression on this world?  Can we really have a legacy that is of any significance?"

1 Corinthians 15 says, "Behold, I tell you a mystery: we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed - in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.  For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed."  

The promise to the Christ-follower is that our life here on earth is just a short stretch of time, and that we will live forever with Him and His people.  The actions of the follower of Jesus today echo into eternity.  There is no unused effort in the eyes of God - all that we do He finds a way to weave together for a great story, a greater good (Romans 8:28).

There is within us a part that aches to know that we have made an impact and that our efforts are not wasted - that what we have done in this life has purpose greater than in just this moment.

The resurrection offers us that hope.

- tC

Looking For Purpose in Life: Unity

(Rawich - FreeDigitalPhotos.net)

We've started to look at the idea of where we can find purpose in life and clearly one area we find purpose is love.  A second area where we find purpose is unity.

In the modern (perhaps post-modern) world, we have so many variegated aspects of our lives.  Many of us are spouses, parents, employees, friends, children, not to mention our hobbies - we are hikers, readers, joggers, knitters, and so forth.  Within our home lives we have to keep the house clean, pay the bills, cook meals, take care of the pets, fix the broken sink...I'm sure you get the idea.  The issue that arises for many of us is how we find purpose in 1.) the huge variety of activities in which we find ourselves involved, but also 2.) activities that seem necessary but also rather mundane sometimes.  We live in a world that tells us we are defined by what we do, but when I do so much, I start to wonder, "Who am I really?"  

I believe one of our desires in life is to find a unity that ties together all the diverse aspects of life.  Taking Christ as the model for our lives, we see that giving ourselves completely to God is His desire, and learning from the Cross we see that giving ourselves in this way means God becoming the savior of our souls and the one who directs our life.  It seems that with all the Jesus did in His life, He always came back to His known purpose which was, grandly speaking, to do the will of the Father.  The Apostle Paul writes to the church in Rome, "Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship."  Paul looks to Christ, sees all that He has given to us, and calls us to give all we have back to God, and he calls this our true and proper worship.

Worship is the means to unity in our lives.  Worship ties together all the aspects of what it means to be human.  The kind of driver I am should show that I understand the sacrifice of Christ and that I am living all of my life in response to Him.  The way I treat not only my family but strangers at the check-out counter should demonstrate that am living my life in response to God's goodness and grace toward me.  You see worship is a term that is often reserved for singing at our religious gatherings on Sunday, but it is so much more.

Worship  is living all of life in response to God's grace and holiness.  

Worship allows us to have unity in our lives because no matter what we are doing, it all falls under the umbrella of living life for God and in response to His grace and holiness.

Part of what it means to be human is to have various roles and diverse activities in life, and we find purpose in all of it as we unite it under the umbrella of worship.  

- tC