My students were sitting at the table playing with some toys this morning. One of the boys had piece that was shaped like a heart so I asked him what shape it was.
“Diamond,” he said.
“No, it’s not a diamond,” I said. “It’s a heart. What does a heart mean?”
None of the kids remembered what hearts symbolize so I filled them in. “It means love.” I had just started singing “Jesus Loves Me” when my language prodigy student interrupted me.
“What do these say?” The boy asked.
I looked down to see a small pair of toy sunglasses in his hands. If I were a realist, I guess I would have said that sunglasses don’t have mouths and can’t talk. But I’m not, and it struck me that the mere fact that the sunglasses were there meant something. They don’t speak in words, of course, but by their very existence they said something to me about reality.
After thinking carefully for a few seconds, I said. “They say that the sun is bright.”
The boy went on playing, but I made a quick note about our conversation because I wanted to come back and think about it. I had a suspicion that there was some beautiful parallel between the sunglasses and humankind.
The fact that objects exist suggests purpose, doesn’t it? We make sunglasses to shield our eyes from the bright sun. We make chairs to sit in. We make tools to help us in our work. We make art to enjoy. I can’t imagine that there is anything we would make if we didn’t have a reason to do so.
Like the sunglasses, the mere fact that we as humans exist suggests something about us. We were created with a purpose. We are here for a reason.
Unlike the sunglasses, though, we were not created to meet a need. God does not need us.
But He does want us.
The Bible reveals a God who wants to dwell with mankind and to be our God. The fact that He created us, the fact that throughout all of history He has been moving with mercy in our world, the fact that He punished His own Son for our sins to restore us to relationship with Him–all these prove that He longs for us with a depth of passion and commitment that we can hardly comprehend.
I love the way God ends His story. This is the goal He has been working toward all along:
“And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, ‘Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.’ And He who sits on the throne said, ‘Behold, I am making all things new.’ And He said, ‘Write, for these words are faithful and true.’ Then He said to me, ‘It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost. He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son.'” Revelation 21:3-7
Sometimes we wonder why we’re here. Is there a reason?
The answer is yes. God has created us for a glorious purpose. He made us for Himself. To be His people. To live with Him. Forever.
“Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created.” Revelation 4:11
Questions to consider:
Am I fulfilling my purpose in life?
Can I be truly satisfied if I’m not doing what I was made for?
Gratefully His 