Unveiling the Purpose of our Existence
Prayer: Dear God, open my heart to receive what you want for me. Amen
We begin this essay with what might be a shattering statement:
We do not exist for our own sake, but for God’s pleasure.
It is strange to say our very own lives are not about us. Initially we have trouble with this idea because of our egos. Our egos insist we are of primary importance, and when we do something to advance our own cause it is rightful and positive.
The subtlety of our egoic nature is so self deceiving we dismiss it without a second thought. Our hubris distorts our self-perception to such an extent we wrongly conclude we exist for ourselves. We further assume our God-given talents (which we have so carefully honed) are rightfully to be used primarily for our own benefit and advancement. These egoic conclusions are mistaken and will inevitably lead to a disappointing and unfulfilling life regardless of how far up the ladder of success we climb. That thought should give us serious pause. We are never satisfied. No amount of success or acquisition is ever enough. What we need is a perception shift. We need to see things differently. Our myopia needs correcting.
The truth is, we exist for a much larger and important cause - one that is much more exciting. We are here at God’s pleasure and to fulfill God’s purpose for us. We have an extremely high calling. Everyone does. Our first task is to discover, with God’s help, our unique calling. Regardless of the shape it takes, or has already taken, it will most certainly be a calling to be a fountain of love to share with the world.
It will be attitudinal in nature, so whatever career we pursue or have pursued we become constantly attuned to the needs of others. We are called to lock arms with others to make the world a better place by caring for others. That is our calling - everyone’s calling. It is our raison d’etra.
Consider the bee hive. There is always a queen bee served by the entire hive population. The drones are the worker bees. They are there for a purpose. Their purpose is to produce the honeycomb in which the queen will lay her eggs. The worker bees will then gather pollen to make the honey to feed the hive of bees. If we seek to fulfill God’s purpose for us, we can envision ourselves to be the worker bees.
The important message to hear is: God has designed a unique purpose for our lives and that purpose transcends everything else in life. Once we discover God’s purpose for our existence and pursue that purpose with tenacity, life will never be the same. Everything will change. We will live with a mission - not for ourselves. Joy and satisfaction will flood our lives. The discovery of the divine purpose for our lives comes with living closer to God.
