This is a genuine question-- What is the purpose of our lives? What is the point of us being here?
I am not being a sad-sack; as a Christian I do think we have a point and purpose, but I have been wondering how to put it into words.
I have a friend who sometimes asks me this question, and I don't really know how to respond. I tend to turn to cliched phrases ('to bring glory to God' or 'to bring more people to Christ') rather than to a well thought out answer that I am convicted of.
I found a verse the other day that has helped me start to formulate an answer, and I will explain that in a follow-up post.
But in the meantime, I would really love to hear YOUR thoughts on this-- what you would say, what you have said etc, in response to this question.
Huldra Forsvant (Theodor Kittelsen)
Huldra Forsvant (Theodor Kittelsen)
5 comments:
Ask a MORE ambiguous question?!
We have discussed this many times before, no? I will keep coming back to the idea of 'Why did YOU have a child?'. Why do I want children? There must be an inherent connection between the children of God wanting to have children and God wanting to create his own 'children', don't you think.
I want to have kids so that I can share that overwhelming sense of love and nurturing that I have inside. I want to give them happiness and help them to experience and enjoy all the wonderful things I have (and more) if it is within my power. To see and feel all the wonderous things that surround us everyday, filling their hearts with unconditional love.
Does it not make sense then our creator, our Father would want the same for us? That our reason for being is because he has so much to share with us and so much for us to experience in the wonderful existense he has created for us. Why must there be some divine reason for something so natural..
All the work and stress you go through, mate is for one..little...thing. Little E. Her whole world revolves around you and E and I just don't see how that can be questioned as reason enough.
I have more to say but I digress...for now!!
I wonder...
we have been given life by others - as Pedro illustrates, we're in a situation not of our making - parents do stuff for their kids, sometimes good, soemtimes bad. So perhaps the question is amended to, 'I have been given this, what now do I do with it?'
We go on living, but perhaps the point is the 'how'... it's a question of responsibility.
To know God. It seems to be the point of the xn life at least.
Good question though.
Thanks for your thoughts, guys, I appreciate it. Let me give it all some thought, and then I will respond in a follow up post.
Your answers are all fairly different, I thought-- all coming from different angles. this is really useful for me in trying to work out my own view point, so thanks.
I agree that I have trouble applying well-thought of answers to present realities. Do we really understand what it means for God to have created us? If God is God, by definition, He does not need us to define who He is. His presence is perfect on its own. Why He created us and strives to make us lovable is, to be honest, a perfect mystery to me. I agree with the writer who wrote:-'I am aware of no human scales in which such a portentous question can be weighed'. There is no question that we live under His Divine Goodness, but the essential question of our creation will have to rest with the Creator, I think.
AY
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