Simply Christianity

A question was recently posed to me. It goes something like this, “Why do Christians emphasize the need to have meaning in life? Can’t we exist without any purpose other than to enjoy, toil and go through life blindly?”

I think it’s helpful to point out that going through life blindly may be meaningful to some. To say that one finds his life meaningful would require him to first explain how he measures ‘meaningfulness’. Without some yard stick for measurement, there is no way one can say with any certainty if he is living a meaningful life.

The critical questions ought to be:

1. Where do I find meaning?
2. How do I derive the maximum amount of meaningfulness?

The Christian answer to the first question is the Bible.

The second answer is also found (no surprises!) in the Bible.

The Bible tells us that God created the Universe and everything in it. After setting in place all the necessary conditions for life, he created the creatures of the air, sea and land. Lastly, he created man and woman.

Just as an artist writes his name on his painting to identify himself with that work for others to know, God leaves an indelible and unmistakable mark on His creation with his signature work – humans.

Humans are different from every other living creature, the Bible says, because we are made in the image of God. This is the reason why we understand obvious concepts like justice, love, hate, anger, mercy and compassion. It is a testimony to the entire Universe that God’s last creation is also His most magnificent and most like Him.

In other words, although all of creation glorifies God, man being His signature work should glorify Him most.

The Christian search for a meaningful life therefore starts from our recognition to the above. Any attempt to stray from this point would lead to a path that is inconsistent with His reasons for creating us in the first place. It may not end in a disaster, but it’s certainly not optimal.

In the New Testament, Jesus summarized God’s commandmants into 2 simple sentences – to love God with all of our hearts, minds, strengths and souls, and to love others as ourselves. He also said that Christians are the light of the world and it must be seen by the world for God’s glory.

By combining the principles of worship, love and deeds in the above sentences, we can see that the chief aim of a meaningful Christian life is to please God and win praises for Him. That means everything that we say, do and even think ought to point others towards our Almighty and holy God.

In this, we find meaning. Christian meaningfulness is not measured quantitatively by deeds, wealth or even the number of people that we share the gospel with. It is a qualitative knowing that his relationship with God is good and right. And it is wonderful to know that a meaningful Christian life is known by this, because it means that anyone whether young or old, poor or rich, sick or healthy, famous or unknown, well-educated or illiterate, can access such a blessed life that gains God’s favor.

After having lived a life of unimaginable wealth, power and authority, the preacher of Ecclesiastes lamented that all those things are fleeting and vanity. He concluded, “Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.” (Eccl 12:13-14).

Do you seek a meaningful life? Do you find that something is missing despite your tears and hard work? Do you find yourself jumping from one ‘technique’ or ‘fad’ to the next one in your quest for peace in your heart and a true meaning to life?

The answer cannot be found in this world, because it is created. Man must go back to the creator, who is God, to find the solution. And only then can he find his true purpose in life and the meaning of it all. Are you willing?