Can you imagine a worse fate than struggle with no purpose?
Last week I spoke to a group of seniors.
One question I always ask myself before a talk is, “What can I tell these folks that will be useful?” My first answer is usually Not Much, but I try to move on anyway.
I began this presentation with three words: We need you.
Amazing that such a simple expression would brighten so many faces. Honestly, it felt like someone turned up the lights in the room.
After the Q&A at the end, the young lady who arranged the gathering rushed up and exclaimed, “That was the perfect thing to say! Did you see their faces light up?”
I wish I could claim credit for a brilliant insight. All I did was relay God’s assurance. Read 1 Corinthians 12 for a clear explanation of each individual’s indispensible significance.
Your life isn’t an accident
It’s one my favorite statements: Nobody’s here by accident. This isn’t just for retired folks or disabled folks or any other special group.
We’re all here for a reason. We all play an indispensible role that enhances and enriches the story. In fact, if you’re wondering whether your purpose has been completed, here’s a simple test. Take your pulse. Got one? There’s your answer.
Here’s an argument I first heard from Michael Hyatt.
- You’re not here by accident. God put you here for a purpose.
- Your pulse shows that you haven’t completed that purpose.
- That means the most important part of your life is still ahead.
Whether you’re eight or eighteen or eighty, life is NEVER about simply running out the clock. The most important days of your life are waiting. That’s real, solid hope.
We too often misunderstand or misuse the word hope. We use it as a synonym for wish, as in I hope I get a new bike for my birthday.
God’s hope
Hope is an expectation based on faith. It’s claiming God’s promise that He will use even the toughest circumstances for good (Romans 8:28). That why the cover of Relentless Grace centers around a rainbow.
The hardest part of my injury wasn’t not-walking, or pain, or any of the other physical losses. The hardest part was the stifling sense of purposelessness and hopelessness that wrapped me in a dark cloud of depression.
There’s no simple way out of that darkness. Life doesn’t provide an “easy” button for those kinds of challenges.
I grapple with those same feelings every day—especially today. The enemy works hard to use them, to drag me back into the darkness. Sometimes, he succeeds.
But those feelings are lies. Purposeless is a lie. Hopeless is a lie.
Each of us still has people to touch and laughter to share. Someone still needs what we have to contribute, even if we can’t see it or feel it.
That’s not how it seems this morning. Today’s one of those days when it all feels pretty pointless. But I know it’s not.
How do I know?
I checked my pulse.
What’s your key to living in hope when things don’t feel very hopeful?
For we live by faith, not by sight. 2 Corinthians 5:7
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