Purpose of Life

Purpose of Life

By : Rickey Berrian

We all ask questions, questions to things that we all have wondered at some point and time in our lives. What is the meaning of life? Why am I here? What am I here for? What is the purpose of life? These kinds of questions we tend to ask, when we are pondering on things that have happened in our lives. Why is this happening to me, what is the point in life? Sound familiar? We all have been there. We go through trials, times of hardship, times that challenge and test us. But yet we still wonder what the purpose of life is. People tend not to reflect on such things because when they do it is typically because someone recently died, or another tramatic event has occured. Why do we wait on such times to think about things like this? Is it because we tend to think we have life figured out, that we know what our life is supposed to be like?

  I don't think any of us really do. I think we all are just trying to get by the best way we can, the best way we know how. We all have people that we look at as role model's in our lives, or hero's as some would say. I have a few of my own. Two of which are no longer on this earth. One is a well know college football coach, one whom was consider the winningest coach in all of football behind Joe Pa. That being Bobby Bowden. He was a man of faith, and trusted in God. He was a great role model for a young man. But another whom is also no longer on this earth and one that from time to time I look back at some of the videos that were made to reflect his life. And I am reminded as to why he was one. Most will know the name Robin Williams. They will see him as comedic genious, but looking at him now, I can see his pain. 

  Robin suffered from depression like most of us do. He lost that battle, and looking back now at some of these videos on his life, I can see the pain being portraied through his work. Which made his acting even more... real! Life he said is fleeting, and if we take a moment and look around us we can see just how fleeting it actually is. How many times have we thought back on a memory and go, gee was it really x years ago, it doesn't seem like it has been that long ago. If I were ever to be ask if I could pick one single actor or actress or anyone in the world that I can connect to on a deeper level, I would say Robin. If I ever had the chance to meet him, I can only imagine the conversations we could of had. Robin was more than just a comedian, he was just like all the rest of us. 

  From Dead Poets Society, to Good Will Hunting, to Patch Adams, listen to the his words, he is not just speaking from a script, he is speaking from his own experiences. That is powerful, and most just see it as good acting, that he was a great actor. To many times have we all taken life for granted, to many times have we said "oh tomorrow" but tomorrow is never guranteed. We only have today, because we don't know when our time will be called. We take this life for granted thinking that we have all the time in the world. I can do it tomorrow, or I will go see them tomorrow, or I have plans, I don't have time. We always put off something or someone because we are to busy to see that time is actually very precious. 

  Some of us knows what that is like all to well. I know I do. I can point out times in my life that I wish I could go back to and do different. There are those in my life I wish I had spent that time with them. It is easy to say had I known, but thats the point. We don't know. And we never will. And it is always when we least expect it too. Life is to short, to fight over what show to watch or who wore what and when, or anything. Why fight over anything, but in the end it will all perish anyway. In the end its not going to matter anyway. We come into this world with nothing, and that is how we leave it too. Some try to find meaning in life in things that are empty and cold. I for one, even if you believe or not  it is your choice, but I for one believe in God, and in His son Jesus. Now I am not here to push my faith on anyone, but I can say I have found more peace, and more joy and happiness through Him. 

  But again that is me and I will not push that on anyone. Life, as some would say, is what you make it to be. Some say life is worth fighting for, that life is worth living for the right people. But honestly do any of us really know? Life is life, it can be hard at times, and others can be as beautiful as some sunsets I have seen and sun rises. In my time I have travled this world, and I have seen what would equate to about 17% of this world. And in just that small amount, I have seen some beautiful things... I have seen the majesty and beauty that, I believe, God has created in this world for us to enjoy. 

  However, I have also seen the flip side of that coin too. With all the beauty I have seen, I have seen just about as much if not more of the evil and darkness that goes on in this world too. Most of us have seen it. Wars and fighting over what? Land, ideals, because someone thinks they are better than the rest. Life can be cruel and dark. For some they will never find escape and will eventually, like Robin, fall. I have found that the most beautiful of things in this life is quick to be overlooked. All the while the evil of this world we ignore. For we don't want to acknowlege it, we don't want to admit to the evils that we commit and do. We just say oh thats normal, thats just how things are. I don't believe that to be true. I think people say that because they don't want to admit it. 

  Those of us that try to bring joy and happiness to the world with love in our heart's, get drowned out but the evils of this world, and are persecuted for just trying to be good people. We all have our truths, what I call the (tha) truth, but The (thE) Truth no one wants to hear. We choose what we want to focus on and what we give way to, but in what way are we guiding our heart's to? Life or death? Life is not a popularity contest, its not about how many likes I can get on Tik Tok, or on Facebook or Twitter. So I do ask what is the purpose of life. A question that so many minds ponder, but never find an answer to, myself included. 

  But what if this life is more about the little things? About the things that matter most, our families, time spent with loved ones. Making most of the time afforded to us. To steal a line from Gandolf in Lord of the Rings, what do we do with the time afforded to us? Time lasts long past our life time and has long before it. Life is fleeting, and in this story, as Robin said in Dead Poets Society, we are given a verse to play in this life. It may be small or it may be big, but what will your verse be. Jesus died so that we may live with the hope that only comes from Him. Some choose it, others pretend to, and most deny Him. Sure life is what you make it, but what are you actually missing out on?

  At some point we learn that life is not about us. That its about all of us, we are all connected. Its not about me and it never has been and it never will be. I believe its about God, its about Jesus, and about what He taught us... putting the needs of others ahead of our own needs. To count others more important than ourselves, (Philippians 2:1-5) for those of you that are of the faith, this is what our God has commanded of us. I am not perfect, nor will I ever be in this life. I have made my mistakes, and unfortunantly, before it is all over, I will make more... I am but a man, a man who is walking in this world, trying to figure things out like all the rest of us. I don't know what the purpose of my life is or why I am here. I like to think its to bring some happiness, or be a friend, or to care for others when others will not. Why else would I have a big heart and care so much for others, even if means getting hurt myself. 

  But who notices it? Who see's that part of me? Who understands me better than the Father? I don't always understand me. I care because who else is going to? Who else is going to say hey your more importan that I am? Who is willing to put themselves aside and be there for someone they don't even know, just because they had a greater need? What do I want, that does not matter because in this world of things, it will never happen. People are to selfish to look at others as I do. They seem not to understand why. I get asked, what do I get out of it? And I simply say the satisfaction of knowing that I helped someone else whom had a greater need than I. I care and I love because that is all I know to do. To any and all. Life is to short not to care, not to love. Even in that I feel that we don't understand how to do that. We don't know how to love like that because we are not able to. It only comes from the Father who first loved us. Even when we don't deserve it. 

  This life can be beautiful if we let it. But turn the news on and what do you see, kidnappings, murders, and all kinds of evil things. And we end up asking, what has the world come to? People all the time say that they want change, that things need to change, that a difference needs to be made somewhere. Like Jeff Daniels said in the News Room first step in solving any problem is to first recognize that there is one. Sure we want change but who is willing to change for it? That is what people seem not to understand. For anything to change we must first change ourselves. We have to be the change, because if we don't then nothing will ever get better. And in my experience, people today... are not willing to change. So what is the purpose of this life? And may be the more important question is... what are we living for in this life? Are we living for ourselves... or for others?