The Purpose of Life

Another senseless tragedy. Families torn apart. Pain, suffering and a sense of security that will never return.


How do our sensitive spirits deal with such tragedy? All we can do is pray. Pray for God’s comfort for those involved. Pray for some kind of reconciliation and peace, knowing it may be years before that is felt. How then do we soothe our own fears? 


We were meant for so much more than this. We cannot let the darkness overcome the beauty of this life. Reach down, deep within yourself. What do you crave? We crave love, and acceptance. And when these basic needs are not met in our lives, it seems our psyche may go berserk.

The truth is that there is no satisfaction for our souls in the ways of this world. The peace we seek, and the love we long for, are all transitional in the tangible world we live in. The only way to know true joy, to feel a deep sense of peace and belonging and to realize true love is to know God. 


With God, we are never alone. He loves us inexplicably, no matter what we do or say. His heart and His love are not based on the things of this world. He is in our thoughts, both conscious and subconscious. 


He exists in a realm our minds cannot conceive, yet we know that He is there. His presence can be felt in the nuance of a thought. His love can be known by the communion of His presence. We feel God and we experience God each in our own way. 


While we exist in this world of people and things, our hearts and our minds must be focused on the spirit. Our spirit guides us through our lives, and learning to listen to its yearnings will direct us on the pathway to inner peace.


We will always have the pull of our external world, with its obligations and insecurities. But if we move our focus inward, and realize it is through our spirits that we communicate with God, the noise of our busy lives can be pushed into the background and our true purpose will be revealed.  


Each of us must find our way. When we communicate with God’s Spirit through our own spiritual existence, we begin to understand the reason why we are here. It isn’t to fight the 9-5 rush-hour life. It isn’t to gain notoriety or wealth.


Our purpose is to grow as spiritual beings, bringing us closer to the realization of what life can mean when our focus is not on the things of this world. Through prayer and a conscious effort at gratefulness in all areas of our lives; through connecting with God from our inner spirit, and not through our intellect, we begin to glimpse the beauty of life that we are meant to know. 

Where Do I Turn?

We lift prayers for family members who are traveling a difficult road of life. We pray for healing and comfort for those who are ill or recovering from surgery or another trauma. 

When I pray for others, I ask for God’s presence to be near the person in need. God’s all-powerful presence is calming and peaceful for me, so I pray for others to feel the calming peace of knowing God is near to them, too.

Each time we face a trial, we have a choice. I know not long ago my reaction to a stressful situation would have been to completely stress out. I would feel frustrated and out of control, totally unsure of what to do. Now I have a new tactic. I pray.

Turning to God in the midst of my stress is very calming. I wish I could say I always remember to do this right away, but I am still learning! Each day is a new opportunity to try a different way of dealing with the challenges our lives bring. For me, turning to God releases some of my burden. I envision leaning on Him for support, encouragement and direction. My thoughts become clearer, and I look for solutions instead of focusing on the problem.

I have also learned that my emotions are information. Very important information. I used to be afraid of my strong emotions, and I held them inside instead of releasing them. Now if I feel sad, or confused, I try to figure out why. Sometimes it’s good to just let it out (privately if possible). Go ahead and cry or be angry and yell at the wind. Then, when the emotions have subsided, it is easier to see more clearly. Examine where the emotion came from, what caused it and what can be done to remedy the situation.

We are given emotions and nerves to sense our world. Another great tool is our intuition, or instinct. We have come to rely on our material world for all of our needs, but there is a part of us that can sense beyond tactile or other sensory perception. 

All animals are born with instinct to survive. We have protected ourselves in our safe little worlds and don’t often use our instincts anymore. But they are still there. 

Sometimes we have an instinctual feeling about a person or situation, and we need to trust the feeling and listen to that tiny voice. It can be difficult with the noise and busyness of our lives. But if you practice trusting your intuition, you will find it to be a helpful tool to use in navigating your way through this life.

So where do I turn? I learn a lot about myself and how to deal with a situation by understanding my reaction to it. When I am overwhelmed, which is frequently, I turn to my Savior for peace and direction. Most of the time I am sustained with the comfort that acknowledging Him brings me. Knowing that He is always near is a great comfort. His peace calms my spirit so that I can find a direction to resolve the situation. 

God’s Spirit lives in us, when we make our hearts welcoming to His presence. This is achieved through relationship with Him and through striving for right living. He doesn’t expect us to be perfect. We can never be. But we can strive to live our lives according to His principles, learning and growing in our understanding of ourselves and our place in this world.  Through His love, we can learn of His perfect peace. 

Please enjoy this video of Laura Story's thought-provoking song, "Blessings". I have had the priviledge of sharing the message of this song through singing it with my sweet sisters in Christ in our trio at church. Laura has faced incredible trials in her life, through her husband's illness, and this song was born out of her experience of praying her way through that trial.