How do humans assign meaning to life, face difficulty, and fulfill a need for accomplishment? An understanding of purpose provides framework for our ability to withstand opposition and drives us forward in life goals and human growth.
Purpose is a hot topic in Christian circles. We are reminded by Christian speakers and authors that our lives have purpose and because of purpose our lives have meaning. Rick Warren famously tells us that life is “not about you”.[1] This is true. In the Christian perspective, our purpose resides in God.
Is it possible, though, that there is an aspect of divine purpose that is left out of today’s sermons, books, and podcasts?
Temporary Purpose
Temporary purpose is about what we do while living as humans on planet earth. This purpose is tied to the time, place, and culture in which we live. When we live our lives with the idea that this world is not about us, but about God’s work in the world, what we do with our time, energy, and lifegoals begins to center around our understanding of purpose.
A young person studies for eight to ten years to be a specialized medical professional to fulfill his life’s purpose of medically helping the people who would benefit from his training. A military soldier trains to be ready and able to obey the orders of his commander to fulfill his life’s purpose to protect and serve his country. A young couple marries and establishes a livelihood and home for the purpose of raising a family. A young man enters ministry to fulfill his purpose to serve God and others.
In the Bible, this idea of purpose is expressed in the stories of people like Moses, Abraham, Christ, the apostles, and many others. In each of these stories, you see that their obedience to God’s voice became the means by which God accomplished his will in the events playing out in the world at the time. By attaching themselves to God’s purpose and work in the world, their lives by obedience became a conduit, a distribution center, of God’s will in the human situation around them.
“For we are God’s workmanship, having been created in Christ Jesus for good works that God prepared beforehand that we may do them” Ephesians 2:10 NET.
What Happens When the Temporary Passes Away?
I began to think a lot about this when my husband became disabled. It is difficult for a young healthy man in his 30’s and 40’s to lose the ability to do the things that gave his life purpose. He could no longer drive his truck, go to work, take care of things around the house. In the last few years of life, he lost cognitive function, was wheelchair bound, and eventually could do nothing for himself.
By society’s standards, his life had no meaning or purpose because he was no longer contributing to society. It is hard for me, even now, to not believe that the church felt the same way. By the end of his time in hospice, he had very few visitors and had grown despondent. Even though his family could see it, he couldn’t understand the continued value of his life.
Likewise, what happens to the medical doctor who must now retire? How does a soldier find purpose when he leaves the military? What does a married couple’s life center around when the kids are grown and gone? How does a minister understand purpose when he is no longer in ministry?
Our temporary purpose attaches us to God’s will in the short term. But it is only after our temporary purpose is gone that we understand that our value in the world is not in what we do. Our value in the world is in who we know.
The Eternal Purpose of God
God created man for the joy of it. He wanted to be in a relationship with us and for us to enjoy his company. Our existence gives him joy. How much more so when we trust him and call on his name!
When man was created, God gave us his likeness and breathed his very breath into us. No other creation has this distinction. And looking at all he had created, God saw that it was “very good” (Gen 1:31).
The Lord God placed man and woman in an orchard in a garden to care for it and maintain it (Gen 2:15). It was God’s habit to stroll in that garden and spend time with Adam and Eve because they gave him joy. God didn’t need them. God wanted them to enjoy his company.
We know the story of sin and separation from God. The enjoyment of a walk with God in the garden in the cool of the day had been ruined. But companionship with God was still his desire.
Because of his love and his desire for us to know him and enjoy his company, God sent Jesus. The work of Jesus was to recreate a space, outside of the garden, where God and man can walk and talk and enjoy each other’s company. Anywhere that Jesus is, God can dwell.
But That’s Not the End.
God’s temporary visitation and work on earth is not the end of the story. When Christ returns, we will see him face to face and be in his presence forever (Rev 22:4). Scripture tells us on that day, God will make all things new (Rev 21:5). All of creation will be restored to God’s original design and we will enjoy his company forever.
Being with God is the desire and joy of God’s heart, his purpose for us.
when we lose a job,
when we haven’t done enough,
when we’ve done it wrong,
when we are no longer physically able,
when we find ourselves in places we never wanted to be,
when we feel useless, invisible, alone,
when all of our effort has failed,
We are the joy and desire of God’s heart!
Everything that happens in this life will culminate with seeing God the Father and God the Son face to face. For this reason, we were created. Our purpose is to belong to him. Temporary purpose can only sustain us when it is understood in the context of God’s eternal purpose. Nothing in this life can change God’s purpose for us to know him and enjoy him for the rest of eternity.
“Q1: What is man’s primary purpose?
Man’s primary purpose is to glorify God and enjoy him forever.[2]”
See also Psalm 145, 1 Cor 10:31, Ecc 12:13-14
Copyright @ TA Boland 2024
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[1] Rick Warren, A Purpose Driven Life, p. 2.
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