So... are you living with purpose or just floating around trying to entertain yourself until you die? I don't mean to be harsh but the fact of the matter is, if you aim for nothing in life then that is exactly what you get out of it... nothing.
So, what is your purpose?
There are two types from what I have come to understand. There is the one type that you are free to choose for yourself, and then there is another type that you were created to fulfill.
The first type of purpose is SUBJECTIVE, a preference you emotionally get satisfaction from, just like your favourite food, your comfiest clothes, or your most treasured trinket. This purpose, therefore, could be anything, from "making money" to "painting pictures"; "fighting poverty," to "washing dishes"... in fact they could be all of the above should you so choose. Those are fine and dandy, but only mean something to YOU. Life is more than just about you... to think otherwise is the practical definition of selfishness. I'm not blaming you, I'm not judging you, I am just stating a fact here.
So, what is the other type of purpose? This purpose, the more important one, is OBJECTIVE. Just like how an apple tree isn't asked for its opinion on whether it wants to produce grapes over apples, you were given no say about the fundamental purpose of your existence. You may not like it, you may not want it, but that doesn't change the fact that it is the way it is. You may disagree with gravity, but it won't stop you from becoming a splat on the ground when you skydive without a parachute.
"So, what is this objective purpose for my life," you may ask? Good question! I've come to learn that it can be summed up in one word.
Relationship.
Relationship with God, with other people, and THEN with yourself. It is important that you get these in the right order or else you're going to have some serious trouble in the end.
If you don't believe in God, well then it's not surprising that you think your subjective purpose is more important than your objective purpose. I suspect (as I did six years ago) that you probably think that EVERYTHING is subjective, up for debate, or just a matter of opinion.
It's not.
Give your head a shake and start using it rather than your emotions. I don't care if you agree or want there to be something beyond yourself, but there is. Heck, don't use God if that word comes with a bunch of baggage for you. Use, "the origin of the universe", or "Ultimate Reality", or WHATEVER... the fact is that nothing physical has ever come from nothing and never has (the law of conservation of mass and energy is pretty solid on this). So, the physical universe, based on the laws governing it, MUST have an explanation that is greater than itself, greater even than the actual laws of physics (because SOMETHING had to have put those laws into place). I call HIM God, and understand Him as an all-knowing, all-powerful, just, loving, and personal being who is the creator of everything that ever existed, does exist, or will ever exist.
We could go into the specifics of WHOM He is, but this is already turning into a long disposition and there are plenty of authors who have written volumes on Him and His character. I would personally suggest the Bible (New Testament first) as a good starting place to get to know Him.
The point is this, if you don't have a relationship to the being who created you, than you do not have the proper context in which to relate to other people. And then you are left with just figuring things out for yourself (subjectivism).
A tree without a river to drink from and a sun to feed from and air to breathe from cannot grow and will eventually die.
This is a fact.
When it comes to being human, you are not simply physical, measured more than the sum of your legs, arms, torso, and head. You have a soul, a spirit, an essence, however you want to describe it. And in a NON-PHYSICAL sense, that soul needs sustenance just like a tree needs sustenance in a physical sense. That sustenance for your soul is your purpose. Your purpose is relationship. Without healthy relationships with God, others, and yourself, than your soul will wither and will die.
The bible talks about a "second death" that is possible. This isn't a ceasing from existence as some many suppose. That wouldn't be nearly as tragic as what the reality is. That is an eternally withered soul consumed in and about itself for all time. THAT is hell. And trust me, it is punishment that we ourselves choose based on our actions. If you stop breathing, do you blame the sky for not intruding into your lungs? If you stop eating, is it shocking to you that food does not magically appearing into your belly? And if you stop drinking, is it water’s fault for not seeping into your skin, your muscles, your veins? YOU are to blame. YOU choose that course. YOU choose the consequences for your actions.
We are all so concerned with the physical death of our bodies and not about the state of our souls. I am not afraid of death because I know my soul is eternal and growing more and more perfect by being fed by the ONLY source that will make it grow. I choose to bathe in the light of the world; drink from the water of life; eat the manna from heaven. All our souls are eternal, but rather than mine being in the pit of despair “where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth”, I hope and trust that I will be in the presence of the being who created me (which is the best thing I can possibly think of and cannot even imagine how crazy-awesome it will be).
So I ask again: What is your purpose?
If you are hiding from the answer, that means you are scared of the answer. I’m not going to coddle you. I’m going to tell you to MAN UP. I’m going to tell you the way it is. Not my opinion. Not a collective consensus of opinions that a group of people have decided is the way it should be (still subjectivism). But A FACT that is as apparent as gravity if you’d get your head out of your tushy and accept reality for reality rather than the reality you want to see out of the clouds up there in your mind.
If you want me to be gentle, here it is, and frankly this is the most important about out of this whole thing.
You do exist, and exist out of the greatest love imaginable and more. Love, Grace, and Goodness in its purest form fashioned you for the same reason. To love back! To have a loving relationship with the source of all good things, to all other things, and to yourself. Trust me… if you reject this, what is left is the absence of Love. Absence of Grace. Absence of Goodness. Don’t you understand what you are left with? Can’t you understand that I DO NOT want that for you?
Please take care to heed my words, and, more importantly, The Word of the one who fashioned you for a purpose beyond yourself.
God Bless.
(P.S. To those who have discovered their purpose, keep the faith, go and grow, and share with everyone you know
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