Does Life Really Matter? — Morning Devotions

By Chris WittsSunday 20 Feb 2022Morning Devotions with Chris WittsDevotionsReading Time: 5 minutes

How can we be sure that we can have lives that matter, lives that are marked with success and happiness and meaning? I think it’s an important question. Having a life that matters has had to do with God, and that is fitting, because God is really at the centre of all things. The existence of the universe and all that is in it is first and foremost about God—but God is not the only reality in the universe. So are you and I.

What are the things that bring you most joy and pleasure? Maybe it’s three or four scoops of homemade vanilla ice-cream smothered in butterscotch sauce. You might also think of things like:

• sunsets at the beach
• the first drive in your new car
• a long nap on a rainy afternoon
• receiving a phone call from your four-year-old granddaughter.

Is it possible to enjoy God?

Joy and pleasure derive from larger contexts as well. Happy families, meaningful jobs, nice homes, and good health are also part of the equation of human joy. And so, what part does God play in all of this? Is it possible to enjoy God himself? Often the last thing we think about when we think of God is joy. For some people, God is the one who takes away our joy by pronouncing all the fun stuff of life off-limits.

For other people, God is the one who sits on his throne in heaven with a big book in which he records every single time we mess up so he can send us to hell when we die. For still others, God may be just an impersonal force of nature that sets the whole process of life in motion but who doesn’t really care and isn’t really involved in anything as personal as our happiness.

Unfortunately, there are many people who feel life has passed them by, and like successful business people, they worked hard to climb the corporate ladder only to find when they reached the top, there was only emptiness. They never found happiness. How sad to reach old age and still not know the answer to the question Does my life really matter?.

Do you feel fulfilled?

As you look back on your life, do you feel good about your achievements? Are you fulfilled or have troubled regrets? If we can find the key to success and happiness, we have discovered our purpose in life. So I have a feeling that the ultimate question is What is the meaning to life?.

I feel this is not just a question for the academics or philosophers—it’s a very practical question for ordinary people to answer. When we take a few moments to think about it, life can be irrational. Issues in life don’t often make sense. Without faith in a personal God, we can’t really answer questions like:

• Is there any meaning when life is only transitory?
• What is most important in life?
• How can I find meaning and fulfilment?
• What is my worldview?

Thousands of years ago, the prophet Isaiah said, “My work all seems so useless. I’ve spent my strength for nothing and no purpose at all” (Isaiah 49:4a). It was a very human statement, and like Isaiah we all have an inborn need to know that we are not useless—that what we do in this life counts for something.

God created us for eternity

After all, the Bible also says that our eternal God has “…planted eternity in the hearts of men” (Ecclesiastes 3:11). I’m sure you want to be remembered after you have died by your family and friends. Our life does matter, because God has designed us with eternity in mind, because what we do here can impact eternity.

The Bible tells us that God created you and me for a reason.

I think that’s why so many people are frustrated in their search for meaning. They try to find fulfilment in the temporary things of this world like money and prestige and power—but they always come up empty. Why? Because we are not wired for this world. We are wired for the next. Listen to the Apostle Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 5:1: “When this tent we live in—our body here on earth—is torn down, God will have a house in heaven for us to live in, a home he himself has made, which will last forever”.

The Bible tells me that God created you and me for a reason. He enjoys us, and he wants us to be happy here in this life and in the next. We are made to glorify God for his sake, not our own. As we live for him, he gives us joy and fulfilment, and a deep sense of his peace. After all, Psalm 33:11 says, “His plans endure forever. His purposes last for eternity”.

The best step to find true meaning

You see, God is eternal, and the question of existence is answered. Why am I alive? God says to us I made you to love you, and that’s why you are alive. So, does my life really matter? The answer is certainly yes. He says your life can make an eternal difference as you join him in accomplishing his purposes.

Finding true meaning in life is all about finding your true design, finding out how you were made to live, and how to walk with God. Robert Schuller writes this:

“How much is a sprinkler-head worth? It all depends. Not much on a shelf in the hardware store. But attach it to a water line and it will bring life to plants, flowers, and fruit, feeding the human race.

Life and death—they’re in the sprinkler head.

How much is a pen worth? It all depends. Whose hand holds it—and what that hand does with it.

What is a human being worth anyway? It all depends. A disconnected human life is a waste. Connected to an uplifting faith in a loving spirit that flows from the living heart of Jesus Christ, this simple person becomes a powerhouse of life-giving hope?”

Committing your life to Jesus Christ is the best step you can take to find true meaning and purpose.