DID GOD REALLY CREATE EVERYTHING? Part Fifteen — What Is the Purpose of Life?

 

DID GOD REALLY CREATE EVERYTHING?

Part Fifteen — What Is the Purpose of Life?

By Reverend Michael Cook, D.Div.
Red Bull Illuminati Ministry

After thousands of years of philosophy...

Religion...

Science...

Mysticism...

And spiritual searching...

Humanity continues asking one question above all others:

"Why am I here?"

It is a question that cannot be answered by wealth.

It cannot be answered by fame.

It cannot be answered by possessions.

For many people who have gained everything the world offers still find themselves asking the same question.

"Is this all there is?"

Perhaps the purpose of life is not found in what we possess.

Perhaps it is found in what we become.

From the moment we are born...

Life begins shaping us.

Parents shape us.

Friends shape us.

Teachers shape us.

Success shapes us.

Failure shapes us.

Even suffering leaves its mark upon us.

Every experience is quietly asking one question:

"Who are you becoming?"

Notice that life rarely asks,

"What do you own?"

Instead it asks,

"What has your soul learned?"

Perhaps this is why every culture has stories about journeys.

The hero leaves home.

Faces trials.

Makes mistakes.

Learns wisdom.

Returns transformed.

The greatest journey has never been across continents.

It has always been the journey from ignorance to understanding...

From fear to love...

From selfishness to compassion.

Every religion speaks about this journey in its own language.

Some call it salvation.

Some call it enlightenment.

Some call it awakening.

Some call it liberation.

Some call it becoming whole.

Different words...

Yet perhaps they all point toward the same movement of the human spirit.

A movement toward greater Light.

Many people spend years chasing happiness.

Yet happiness comes and goes.

It depends upon circumstances.

Purpose is different.

Purpose remains even during difficult seasons.

A person with purpose can endure hardship.

A person without purpose often feels lost even when everything appears successful.

Purpose gives direction.

Purpose gives meaning.

Purpose gives hope.

Perhaps this is why Viktor Frankl, who survived the horrors of Nazi concentration camps, wrote that those who found meaning were often able to endure circumstances that seemed impossible.

Meaning gives strength.

Purpose gives endurance.

The soul longs for meaning because meaning reminds us that our lives matter.

Not only to ourselves...

But to others.

The purpose of life cannot simply be surviving.

Plants survive.

Animals survive.

Human beings are capable of something greater.

We can create.

We can forgive.

We can imagine.

We can sacrifice.

We can love.

These qualities reveal something extraordinary about human nature.

Perhaps we were created not merely to exist...

But to participate in creation itself.

Every kind word creates hope.

Every act of mercy creates healing.

Every truthful conversation creates understanding.

Every act of generosity creates possibility.

Every compassionate heart becomes a co-worker in building a better world.

Perhaps this is one meaning of being created in the image of God.

Not that we create galaxies...

But that we create goodness wherever we go.

Every morning we are given raw material.

Time.

Thoughts.

Choices.

Relationships.

Opportunities.

What we build with them becomes our offering to the world.

Some people build walls.

Others build bridges.

Some spread fear.

Others spread courage.

Some leave behind bitterness.

Others leave behind wisdom.

Every day asks us...

"What will you build today?"

Many people imagine that purpose is one great event waiting somewhere in the future.

But purpose often hides inside ordinary moments.

Helping a neighbor.

Encouraging a friend.

Listening to someone who feels forgotten.

Being faithful in small responsibilities.

Raising children with compassion.

Speaking truth with kindness.

The extraordinary is often hidden inside the ordinary.

Jesus illustrated this repeatedly.

He spoke about seeds.

Bread.

Shepherds.

Lamps.

Vineyards.

Coins.

Mustard seeds.

Simple things...

Yet each became a doorway into eternal truths.

Perhaps life itself works the same way.

Every ordinary day contains extraordinary opportunities if we have eyes willing to see them.

The world often measures success by accumulation.

How much money.

How much influence.

How much recognition.

The Kingdom of God measures something different.

How much love.

How much mercy.

How much compassion.

How much truth.

How much Light.

At the end of our lives...

It is unlikely we will wish we had accumulated more possessions.

More titles.

More applause.

Most people instead remember relationships.

Moments of kindness.

Acts of forgiveness.

Conversations that changed lives.

Love given freely.

Love received gratefully.

Perhaps that has always been the true purpose.

To become people through whom Love itself can enter the world.

Not perfect people.

Not famous people.

Simply people whose lives leave the world better than they found it.

If that becomes our purpose...

Then every day becomes meaningful.

Every conversation becomes sacred.

Every act of kindness becomes part of eternity.

Perhaps the purpose of life has never been about escaping the world.

Perhaps it has always been about helping transform it.

One heart...

One family...

One community...

One act of love at a time.

As we have journeyed together through this series, we have explored profound questions.

Who is God?

Why does evil exist?

What is wisdom?

Why do we suffer?

What is love?

What is freedom?

Each question has quietly led us toward one conclusion.

The purpose of life is not merely to know truth.

It is to become people who live it.

For truth without love becomes cold.

Knowledge without compassion becomes pride.

Power without wisdom becomes dangerous.

But truth lived through love...

Transforms the world.

In our next and final chapter, we will bring this entire journey together by asking one final question:

If God created everything in love, where is all of creation ultimately going?

Until then...

Live with purpose.

Love without fear.

Serve with humility.

And remember...

Every day is another opportunity to become the person God has been patiently inviting you to become.

Peace, Light, and Understanding to All.

— Reverend Michael Cook, D.Div.
Red Bull Illuminati Ministry