I've often quoted a Philosopher I heard interviewed on the radio many years ago. The interviewer introduced him with the acknowledgement that he spent much of his time considering the biggest questions of life. 'So', she said, 'Can you tell me this, what is the purpose of life?' To which the Philosopher replied, 'The purpose of life is to discover the purpose of life'! I think Christians can do better than that, not (hopefully) because we are smug, but because we have a Bible. Nevertheless, the question about the purpose of our lives is among the most common that I have been asked by people over the years, assuming, I think, that as Pastor I should have the answer. During this period of lockdown I sense this question is being highlighted even more. What's my purpose during this time?
Whenever someone has asked me about this I've always started in Ephesians 1 where Paul three times speaks about living for the praise of his glory (vss 6,11,14). Don't rush past this. We could put it simply as living to please Christ as the purpose of our life. Why this is so important is because whatever situation we are in we can still do this. We may be working full time in a high powered career, we may be unemployed, we may be looking after a baby at home or we may be furloughed in lockdown, but we can live through all of these times to the praise of his glory, seeking to please him through whatever phase of life we may be in. This must be true as we see that Paul is able to say even to slaves, 'Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.' This can bring dignity to everything we do if we carry that desire. I can teach Maths as doing it for Jesus, I can look after a baby as though doing it for Jesus. Martin Luther is often quoted as saying, 'If Jesus was returning tomorrow I'd plant a tree today.' Both the exact quote and whether Luther actually said it are in question, but it's often been discussed and explained in different ways. To me, it simply means that everyday in all I do I live to the praise of Christ's glory, so I don't need to change what I do today even if I knew that Jesus was returning tomorrow.
After I've shared my views on Ephesians 1 people usually have a follow up question with great emphasis, 'Yes, but what do you think God really wants me to do?' At this point I believe I have a killer verse straight from the New Testament. 'Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.' 1 Thess. 5:16-18. (Italics are obviously my way of underlining the point). So, what God really wants us to do is to rejoice all the time, pray all the time and to give thanks all the time. Before we worry about doing anything else for God are we doing that?
I fully understand that some Believers who worry about the will of God for their life wonder if they have a 'call' to some ministry or simply feel they should be doing something more specific or purposeful with their life. But very often our lives consist of getting on with what's to hand and as Believers doing it for Christ and therefore with a good attitude. John Piper says, 'Occasionally, weep deeply over the life you hoped would be. Grieve the losses. Then wash your face. Trust God. And embrace the life you have.' Personally, I've found that so helpful to be real about my life. We all carry disappointments about things that have happened or not happened in the past. Accepting this, but then getting on with it and seeking to live to the praise of his glory is the way forward.
I'm also convinced that we should give more attention simply to doing good. Paul speaks of God's desire to have a people for himself who are eager to do what is good (Titus 2:14). So often when we think of the ministry of Christ we think of the teaching and miracles and rightly so. But in Acts 10:38 Peter preaching in the home of Cornelius describes Jesus as going around and doing good. We find an echo of this in Galatians 6:9,10. 'Let us not become weary in doing good....Therefore as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.' So, if we are wondering what to do during lockdown, do some good. There's not much point in worrying about the purpose of my life if during this time we haven't even made a phone call to see how someone else is doing and sought to encourage them.
A few things I've found helpful during lockdown:
Make a definite plan for each day, don't just drift through it.
Make contact with other people through a phone call or social media.
Read some Christian books
Decide on a practical project in the home or garden and do it.
Keep a check on at least one person living on their own near to where you live.
Read though a book of the Bible in one sitting.
Look forward positively - decide on at least one nice thing you are going to do when you leave lockdown.
If saving money because of lockdown (and some are) then give more money away.
Pray for church members who are on the front line in the NHS etc.
Don't opt out of Zoom because you don't like it. Take some breaks, but don't opt out. We're not in prison, it's just a bit frustrating.
Make a list of all the things you can do; one by one tick them off and feel good about it.
Don't sit around wondering all the time about the purpose of life. Live it!