When I was a kid, I saw TV shows and cartoons about “the meaning of life.” Such ideas did not interest me much at the time. I had more important things to do, like playing outside with my trucks in the sand pile, climbing trees and riding my bike.
Who cared about some mysterious over-all meaning to life? It seemed obvious to me in those days that life was simply to be lived.
But after being around for a while , after seeing the struggles of life and death, the plagues of war and famine, the suffering of human beings and countless other living things, I did begin to give more thought to the purpose and meaning of human existence.
One wonders about the many experiences of joy and pain, the dreams fulfilled and not fulfilled. How does it all fit together?
Why are there flowers and trees and gliding birds and why does a raindrop catch the sunlight? We can talk all we want about evolution, about instinctual survival and about physics, chemistry and electro-magnetic fields, but none of these things explain the why behind creation and life.
Why does the universe exist in its present form? Why do we sense down deep inside that there is much more to life that we ever begin to understand in this lifetime? And why do we pray to God for help — even when we have lost just about all our faith?
For me, Jesus Christ answers the questions. Granted, He does not speak in Scripture on every topic that might pop into our heads. But He does address the common and known problems, and the bigger questions that trouble most people.
God in Jesus Christ addresses the problem of sin, for instance. God does not crush us because we sin, but He does point out the consequences of sin, and He has provided a way for us to be rescued. God knows that the human soul is not just tainted but saturated with sin and the propensity to go the wrong way. And He has had compassion on us all, providing a new life in Christ.
We don’t need a Bible to tell us what happens when people try to justify the wrongness within. When we decide to deny reality and to go on pretending that everything is just fine, we do crazy and destructive things. Read the newspapers to see what I mean, or turn on the evening news.
Obviously, the meaning of life is greater than the doctrine of sin. But nothing is greater than the message of salvation — the good news of a new life in Jesus Christ. Nothing brings us closer to understanding the many whys of life than understanding what God has revealed to us in Jesus Christ.
After hearing and seeing what the world has to offer, I have concluded that God’s message to us in the Holy Bible is central to any real understanding of human nature, time and eternity. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still as curious as anyone. But I measure everything now by what the God of the Bible has said.
Meaning is important. Having a sense of direction is crucial to lasting happiness. Human beings need to know who they are, why they are here, and where they are going. We may not grasp the whole thing in this life. But we can take hold of the hand offered us by God, and let Him show us the way. That Way, for me, is Jesus.
Jim