Meaning of Life

As I was waiting in a parking lot for an appointment, a young man strolled by with head hanging, arms stiff at his side, and clothes that hadn’t seen water in many days. His only stop in the 300 meters in which I saw him, was at the pay phone checking for change. He hardly turned right or left but instead vacantly watched his feet move forward one step at a time. Hopelessness and meaninglessness walked with him.

And my heart broke… What would it be like to see no meaning in life? I’m sure some of you could tell me. In fact I have my own story of 15 years of despair which I never want to relive.

I’ve been reading a very insightful book by Philip Yancey called Where is God When it Hurts? , a must read if you are hurting right now or know of someone who is. On page 215 this statement struck me as very true – “A nervous breakdown is a breakdown in meaning”. Humanity has an inborn need to mean something to someone, to do something that has meaning, to leave something of meaning behind when they are finished on earth. It’s what gets us up in the morning. It’s what makes us push through difficult assignments.

Yancey also talked about how terminal sufferers are often called invalids – non-valids. Do we really mean that those bedridden or mentally challenged are “NOT VALID”???? To have no value is to have no meaning. Why bother living then?

Which brings us to the question, what gives meaning? I know it includes at least two things – and maybe everything else can be found within these two. It includes:
      making God look good – or the traditional way of saying this, giving God glory
      and helping others.

So practically what would this look like?
      Upon waking in the morning, a person asks God to help them represent him well today and to be of some help to others. They go through their day consciously following through on opportunities which come their way. Than at the end of the day as they review, they thank God for answering their prayer, for bringing meaning into and out of their life.
      A quadriplegic gives meaning to the life of their care giver who is learning the godly characteristics of servanthood etc. In their perseverance through the challenges of constant pain and limitations, they represent God’s perseverance with us. 
      The elderly, who in spite of their limited income, sponsor a child from Uganda, giving them the chance to bring meaning to that village.
      Even the funeral of a godly person can have meaning. As their life of devotion to God and others is celebrated, the many attending are inspired to carry on in their place.

What proof do we have that every person has meaning?
      All meaning is found in God. He created humanity in his image, therefore we have meaning.
      The meaning / value placed on us by the Father is so great, he sent his Son Jesus to live, die and be resurrected on our behalf.

1 Peter 1:18-21 (Message) Your life is a journey you must travel with a deep consciousness of God. It cost God plenty to get you out of that dead-end, empty-headed life you grew up in. He paid with Christ’s sacred blood, you know. He died like an unblemished, sacrificial lamb. And this was no afterthought. Even though it has only lately—at the end of the ages—become public knowledge, God always knew he was going to do this for you. It’s because of this sacrificed Messiah, whom God then raised from the dead and glorified, that you trust God, that you know you have a future in God.
Getting back to the man I saw in the parking lot - he has meaning because he is made in the image of God, because Jesus died so he can have relationship with the Father, and because God used him to influence me and you through this devotion. I pray that somehow he will come to know his value, and instead of hopelessness and meaninglessness, his constant companions will be eager expectation and significance. 

How good are you at seeing the value in others or even yourself? How will it make a difference in your everyday living? God meant for you to be created. God means for you to life with him and for him.

“The essence of intelligence is skill in extracting meaning from everyday experience.” (Unknown source)

Blessings from Bev