Finding Meaning

"Only one fifth of young outsiders [nonbelievers] believe that an active faith helps people live a better, more fulfilling life."
-David Kinnaman, unChristian

This statistic really surprised me.  Only one fifth.

Many outsiders think that believing in God is boring or outdated.

For me, faith is the entire substance to life. Without my faith in God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit, I wouldn't be here.

To me, Christianity is not a set of rules and regulations. It's about having an intimate relationship with God. It's about finding meaning in life. It's about finding purpose in what is seen as purposeless.

As I've shared in previous posts, I have dealt with abuse, neglect, homelessness and various mental illnesses, including schizophrenia. Faith is what makes life interesting and meaningful when everything around us looks chaotic. Believing in God helps me to carry on when the road gets rough. Faith brings hope into my life at the most dire moments.

I could not imagine my life without faith. I guess if I didn't have faith, I would have been gone a long time ago. It's what gives me the will to fight through the hardships. My faith helps me to endure some really difficult stuff.

Faith gives meaning to life. If we don't believe then what is the point in fighting through difficulties? What is the point in all of us striving so hard when we're just floating on a planet in the middle of a huge universe?

I need a God. We need a God. We need Christ because we all fall down in our lives. We all make mistakes and sin. We all need forgiveness. We all need unconditional love.

We all need faith and hope.

Flick of a Lightswitch

“Life is like a vapor. We hold it in our hands, and it curls through our fingers, and before we know it, it’s gone.”

-Steven James, Becoming Real

Have you ever thought about the brevity of your life? About how our lives mark only an instant in the universe? About your meaning in this world?

I have.

I’ve thought a lot about making the most out of my life. Especially since I came so close to losing it a few years ago. I want to give meaning to the life that God has given me, no matter how hard this life has been.

Our lives are precious. Here and gone like the flick of a lightswitch.

You and I could die at any moment. Our life just a memory.

What do you do to make your life meaningful?

Think about it.

This life is an awesome gift God has given us, with its struggles and pain and joy and happiness. I believe that this life is to be cherished. Our lives become whole when we find meaning amidst the chaos of this place we call earth.

And that’s not always easy to find meaning. No way am I saying it’s easy.

There are days when I just want to curl up in bed and do nothing. Those are usually days when my mental illnesses have the best of me.

But then there are days when I want to make a real difference in the lives of others. There are days when, as my mother said to me in my last hospitalization, I “get up and meet the day.” There are days when I find my meaning and purpose in life.

Finding my meaning in life is what keeps me going when I feel like I can’t go any longer. It’s what brings joy and peace into my chaotic life.

Our days are short here on earth, so let us make the most of our lives.