Purposiveness

What is the meaning of life?

(I certainly tackle easy questions on here)

I would guess that many Western Christians would give an answer similar to mine: to figure out God's purpose or will for my life, and to do that.

Because, really, making money is definitely not a motivation enough to keep me working, cooking, cleaning, praying, relating with others, etc. Nor is gaining power, or bettering my reputation, getting beautiful and more things, or preserving my life (think of animals who spend their lives gathering, nesting, hunting, sleeping solely to survive). These may help some people wake up every morning, but I would probably see right through these: meaningless, all meaningless.

So I spend my life wondering, worrying, and biting my nails, trying to discover my purpose. What, oh what, is God's will for my life?!! If I could, I would go to mountaintops and to the middle of a blazing desert and yell What-Is-My-Purpose? And it may echo, eerily, and a still silence would follow.

I realized today that a tenet of Western Religious thought is that very response. A Christian worldview teaches that the meaning of life comes from understanding and following God's purpose of will. I have been programmed to think this. It sounds slightly dystopian to write it that way, but it's true.

Perhaps that is not the right answer -what if it is wrong or at the very least, misleading.

This theory/worldview is called "purpose theory" in the philosophical discipline. It has a name. And there are many theists, atheists, deists, and others who both support and dispute the validity of purpose theory. Thaddeus Metz, Religious Studies professor at The University of Johannesburg in South Africa wrote an article titled, "Could God's Purpose Be the Source of Life's Meaning?" The article articulates purpose theory, addresses many of the arguments against it (reductio), and presents his own perspective, that is reduced (simply) to this:

If God is all knowing, immutable, atemporal (outside of the limits of space and time), simple (unchanging -always the same forever and ever), immortal, I AM (the beginning and the end), then it is inconsistent for him to reductively interact with human life in terms of temporal (time and place) goals and purposiveness.

Hmmm. So, if finding God's purpose is not the meaning of my life, then what is? And how do we relate and interact meaningfully with an atemporal, immutable God?

He suggests that the meaning of life comes from worship God and interacting with him in this life.

I thought about John 5:19

So Jesus explained, "I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does.

Something became apparent that I never before considered. He did not say, "I do what God has purposed/willed for me to do." He says, "only what he sees the father doing."

If time does not exist to God, and he sees the beginning and the end, then a very crude example is that God is like the tall person in a crowd who can see, because he is a head above the rest, where to go. The rest of the little people run and walk in circles, bumping into one another attempting to find their way, only able to see inches or a foot in front of them. If, however, they line up behind the tall person and follow him, they are much better served.

It isn't a great illustration, but in our temporal humanity we worry about today, tomorrow, and the next day -next year, after college, when we're married, etc. but basing the meaning of life on those, and expecting God to order those and speak the events of our tiny lives into perfect meaningful order, perhaps it is more effective to stop doing, busying, worrying, or planning -release control (what??? -not a simple task for my Type A self!) and figure out what He is doing, then join in.

For those who miss the beauty of subtlety, let me explain. Recall the question at the beginning, what motivates you to get up in the morning? I replied, "next to nothing," because everything (money, power, etc.) is meaningless. So instead I look to God and begin my day by asking, "What on earth am I here for? Why did I wake up today?" And then I either chug along with one foot in front of the other doing tasks, or I try to envision myself fulfilling some great purpose that will leave a lasting legacy on this earth. (I sincerely hope I am the only one to wrestle with this existential problem every morning, but if not, you are in good company). That is an illustration of "purpose theory."

In contrast, I wake up to realize that I can do nothing to bring my life meaning or purpose, so I climb back under the covers and stay in bed all day. Wrong! Instead, I look at the world around me as alive, active, interactive, creative, busy...with the work of God all around me orchestrating every detail meaningfully --with the scape of eternity in his view. And I join in what he is doing.

How do I know what he is doing? I listen. To the Holy Spirit speaking in me, to the bible, others who believe in God. And I act. To join with God might at times look very silly, counter productive, or not make logical sense. It may bring persecution, pain, or poverty. But, by doing what He is doing, living to imitate Jesus' example of joining with the Father, that my friends is the meaning of life.