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In the previous quarter of this journal, I shared with you how becoming a Christian gave me a meaningful purpose in life and led me to a career and a ministry. As we think about purpose in life, we must consider whether there is another way to find meaningful purpose. I am in a unique position to address this because the other members of my family have tried several very different means of finding a life purpose.
My father was an atheist academic who attempted to find purpose in his education. He was a disciple of John Dewey and graduated from Columbia University in New York. He was a full professor and the head of the philosophy department at Indiana University in the School of Education. At a state university, there is a “publish or perish” principle that rules the life of a university professor. My father met this requirement with glee, publishing a variety of articles. He spent a year in Europe studying how educational institutions in England, Russia, Germany, France, and Italy handled religion. He left his children in the care of a graduate student at Indiana University while he gathered the data that eventually became a book.
He retired from Indiana University, where he was highly honored and respected. How did this lifelong work fulfill any real purpose for my father? His work was completely outdated before he died. Institutions overseas and in America basically discounted religion altogether, removing it from any participation in state-supported educational institutions. My father spent his last years carving animal figures out of wood. He was forgotten by Indiana University and lost his voice in academia. He was a great professional success, but now his influence is minimal, and his legacy is forgotten.
I have two younger brothers — one ten years younger than me and one 12 years younger. The older of the two brothers became an officer in the Air Force and flew training jets and then helicopters. One of the bases he was assigned to in Arizona was closed, so the Air Force sent him to Rantoul, Illinois, to be the closing officer of the Air Force base there. While at Rantoul, he established a museum on the base, which was closed during his lifetime. He was very successful in seeing that the base was removed from military use. Because of Agent Orange, the chemical defoliant used in Vietnam, he developed Parkinson's. He was eventually mustered out of the Air Force but never advanced in rank beyond being a major. He faced a life with little financial reserves and moved into a military nursing home. In the middle of all of this, he suffered a divorce and had bouts of depression. Near the end of his life, he told me he no longer wanted to be associated with the atheism of our father, and I was able to baptize him into Christ. He left this life at peace with God, but saying his only purpose was to close bases which are now long forgotten.
My youngest brother totally bought into our father's atheism and refused any connection to God or Jesus Christ. This caused him to be uncomfortable with anyone and resulted in depression, which ultimately caused him to be divorced by his wife and alienated from his two sons. Alcohol became an addiction for him, and he lived alone on a lake in Canada in a cabin our father had bought many years before. He died alone of heart failure, feeling his life had no purpose.
Is there any other option for cases like the three I have just cited? The Bible has numerous passages that deal with the purposes God has for every life. Old Testament passages such as Exodus 9:16; Jeremiah 32:19; and Proverbs 19:21 refer to God's desire for his people to have a purpose. Romans 8:28 says, “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Ephesians 3:11 tells us that God has an eternal purpose, which he accomplished in Christ Jesus. Ephesians 6:12-13 tells Christians that they are major players in the war between good and evil. The entire book of Job describes one man's role in that war.
How does becoming a great politician, educator, military warrior, or scientist bring purpose if we engage in these things without any connection to our Creator? How long will our accomplishments last if we have no connection to God? I am thankful that after several false starts, I found a role in life that has been full of purpose and that will endure for many years after I die. Laborers, teachers, doctors, and professionals who live a life of service to God and support others fulfill the purpose for which God created them. Their lives will be remembered, and their purpose will continue through the lives of those they served. In the church, each of us can fulfill our purpose in living, avoiding a life of futility and frustration. Have you found the purpose of your life?
Picture credits:
Cover: © SergeyBor/Bigstock.com
Photo: Does God Exist?
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© RobWilson/Bigstock.com;
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Scripture links/references are from BibleGateway.com. Unhighlighted scriptures can be looked up at their website.