Man's Search For Meaning

15-May-2022
Peter W. Guess

faith, grace, hope, god is sovereign, creator, abundant life

Man's Search For Meaning
"Why am I here?"
"What is the meaning of [my] life?"

Usually, these questions come when we agonise about ourselves inwardly, during a personal crisis or during an extensive search for answers to life's tough questions.

We may feel we are empty or disconnected amidst such a huge planet and lost in space. We may feel inferior to someone else, others in general or in comparing ourselves to those who have greater wealth, status or success.

The real pain of these reflections tends to come mainly from ego-centric thinking - a life centred on the self.

True meaning and significance come from very different orientations and different sources.

We find ourselves, only when we find out who we are in relation to our Creator. We are made in His image and made for His higher purposes. Without this higher connection and higher consciousness, we are, without knowing it, disconnected from ourselves, and thus unable to understand our needs and see ourselves accurately.

We find meaning when we discover God's love and personal plan for our lives and begin to live out the will of God in our daily lives. God becomes the Source of our lives and being. This is a theocentric way of life - a life centred around God and not on self.

If we are made by God, in the image of God - as I believe - then we will never be satisfied with an ego-centric approach to life.

If we follow this latter path, we end up trying to fill our "God-shaped" vacuum inside ourselves with many external things, including addictions, which will never satisfy us.

If you are asking these questions, listen to Jesus' invitation: "Seek first the Kingdom of Heaven, and... all these [other] things will be added to you." - Matthew 6:33

"For as the waters fill the sea, the earth will be filled with an awareness of the glory of the Lord. Habakkuk 2:14 (NLT)

When I taste & behold Your goodness...
I shall not want
I have all I need
I need nothing else
You are all I need
I am at rest

When I taste & behold Your goodness...
I am at peace
I let go of all that competes for my attention
I let go of my earthly wants
You are all I need
I worship You

**Note: "Man's Search For Meaning" is the name of a highly recommended book by Viktor Frankl, that deals with this subject from a psychological and existential angle and as an academic source.