Nov 28th, 2021: Starting with Why...Why Are We Here?
Kids start asking "why" when they begin to have the awareness that they are human. They don't just do things because mom and dad tell them so. That is the beginning of our human journey to discover the meaning of life.
Simon Sinek's famous TED talk has a similar theme: Start With Why. It is about digging deeper into the reasons behind our actions. One of the most common questions people ask is Why Are We Here? It is philosophical and theological in many aspects. We don't ask these questions if our lives have no intrinsic values and worth. The conversation about the meaning of life will be short if we believe that we are just some cosmic accidents.
It is God's desire and intent that we are here. (Rev 4: 11)
God wants us to discover who we are as we learn to know Him in this life. It is more than just a religious exercise that somehow provides us a pathway to the afterlife. It is a relationship that we are supposed to have with the Creator in order to explore the meaning of our life both now and in the eternal.
It is about God's beauty, power, and purpose that we are here. (Ephesians 2:10)
The more we can acknowledge that life is a gift from God, the more we can appreciate His beauty in one another. We are supposed to experience freedom by belonging to God. Racial tension, abortion, and inequality exist because we fail to acknowledge that God creates life.
It is about God's pleasure and purpose that we are here. (Colossians 1: 16)
What does this mean? God really longs for our relationship with Him, and that is His pleasure. He then loves to work with us and among us to care for His creation. The outcome of this is our oneness with Him. Our pleasure will be our opportunity to be in His presence without fear. We discover the true meaning of worship then.