7 Years Ago Today

Seven years ago today, I found the purpose of life.

Not just MY life, but LIFE ITSELF.

Being an analytical person, I’ve always asked, “why?”

I started asking the BIG questions when I was around sixteen. 

Here’s a little glimpse of where my mind was back then:

1.       If I was born in India, would I still be Catholic?

I grew up Catholic all my life; I kneeled, sat, stood and prayed all throughout my childhood. I went to Catholic elementary school, Catholic high school, and never missed a Sunday with my parents and sister growing up. I was very disillusioned with Catholicism; why was the bible rarely emphasized? It seems as though my catholic faith was more of a cultural upbringing than a personal belief. If I was born in India, I probably wouldn’t be catholic; I probably would be Muslim or Hindi. Why? Because that is the culture and the context I would be raised in. But does not God transcend culture? Is He not greater than culture?

2.       There are so many religions! Which one is the “right one?”

There was a meme that said, “I’m going to hell in every religion.” For the longest time, I was against “organized religion.” God gave us a brain; why would we need to fit ourselves in one of these pre-molded organizations? Doesn't this restrict us? Doesn’t this hinder our growth as human beings, if we are simply to “do this and don’t do that, say this and don’t say that, be this and don’t be that?” I’m an independent thinker! I can think on my own, thank you very much! Jesse Ventura said “Organized religion is a sham and a crutch for weak-minded people who need strength in numbers.” Bono of U2 said, “Religion is what is left when the Spirit has left the room.” So many people kill in the name of their religion. It’s dangerous! Why would I want to be a part of that? You can have religion. I’m fine without it. I would rather live life to the fullest, respect all people, and treat others the way I want to be treated. That makes more sense to me. Simple.

      

3.       What if I study all the religions, and live by the thread that weaves them all?

The Golden Rule: Do unto others the way you would have do unto you. Love people. Treat all people with dignity and respect. Karma: what goes around comes around. You reap what you sow. 

4.       Doesn’t “organized religion” divide us more than unite us?

Sunday is the most divided day of the week. Everyone across the globe gathers to their own places of worship, whether it be a church, synagogue, temple, or tv set. I’d rather spend my Sunday volunteering at a soup kitchen or something. Why sit and listen to someone preach to me for an hour while I could use that hour actually applying what is preached?

5.       How valid is the Bible? Isn’t it just a bunch of stories written by man?

We’ve all played the game of “telephone” – take a bunch of people in a room, whisper a message to one person, have that person whisper to the next person, and voila! You went from “Mary had a little lamb,” to “The cow jumped over the moon.” - a completely different story, with a completely different subject and predicate. This brings up the question, “Did Jesus really exist?”

6.       If God is love, and He is our Father in heaven who loves us, why would He send His children to hell?

Is hell even real? Is heaven real for that matter? I finally got the answer to this question after many years: Hell is not meant for you. It’s meant for Satan. The problem is, so many of us choose to listen to the devil instead of Jesus that we send ourselves there, not God. 

7.       Is there such thing as true humility?

As human beings, we are selfish by nature. Don’t believe me? When you look at a photo with you in a group, who do you look for first? You, or the group? Exactly. However altruistic we try to be, our nature is always to look out for numero uno. With that being said, is it possible to be truly selfless? Could it be that humility is just another form of pride? 

8.       Did Jesus really exist? Who was He? What was His mission?

I read somewhere that there was more proof of Abraham Lincoln’s existence than Jesus’. Interesting.

9.       What is love?

Baby, don’t hurt me.. no more. Agape. Philia. Eros.

10.   What is the purpose of life?

Existentialism? Nihilism? New Age? “To become the next Greatest Version of the Grandest Vision of Who I Really Am” Neale Donald Walsh “You Only Live Once” Drake “You are what you repeatedly do.” Aristotle “Love your life” “Life is not about finding yourself, it’s about creating yourself” Coffee Mug “Free yourself from yourself” Nick H “Salvation lies within.” Shawshank Redemption “You are in control of your destiny” “Trust in yourself” “Self Reliance” Emerson Leave your legacy. Make a dent on this earth.

These sayings sound nice, but they are all driven by the self, which is driven by ego. Ego is selfish by nature, so how could one truly love each other if we are doing it for our own personal gain?

I spent a lot of time in my adolescent years seeking the answers to these questions. I would talk to “religious people,” but a lot of these people just followed their religion blindly and/or didn’t have the answers themselves. To me, I didn’t understand how you can truly believe what you believe unless you really ask “why?” 

Which leads me to my answer.

I found the answer in a book entitled The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren. On September 25^th, 2005 I read these words:

It’s not about you.

The purpose of your life is far greater than

your own personal fulfillment, your peace of

mind, or even your happiness. It’s far greater

than your family, your career, or even your

wildest dreams and ambitions. If you want to

know why you were placed on this planet, you

must begin with God. You were born by his

purpose and for his purpose.

The search for the purpose of life has puzzled

people for thousands of years. That’s because

we typically begin at the wrong starting point—

ourselves. We ask self-centered questions like,

“What do I want to be? What should I do with

my life? What are my goals, my ambitions, my

dreams for my future?”

But focusing on ourselves will never reveal

our life’s purpose. The Bible says, “It is God

who directs the lives of his creatures; everyone’s

life is in his power.”1

“It’s not about you,” was the first four words in the first chapter. “The purpose of my life is not about me? How does that make any sense?” For you to know the purpose of your life, you can’t start with yourself, you have to start with God.” Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “Plans not to hurt or harm you, but to give you a hope and a future.” God has a plan for me?? It’s in the Bible?? I never heard that before! That is such a relief, because before that, I thought I had to figure out on own! Needless to say, that first paragraph captured my attention, and for the past seven years I’ve been able to live my life with extreme confidence, finally knowing the answer to these ten questions I have asked since I was sixteen. This is such a weighty topic, and one blog posting does not thoroughly illustrate my point of view in depth, so I may have to revisit this topic again in the future. In the meantime, please think deeply on this posting, as it has been the result of fourteen years of asking, seeking, and knocking. Meditate on it, and be blessed!