Tuesday, February 21, 2012

PURPOSE OF CREATION


OUR REASON OF BEING
Feljun B. Fuentes

Have you ever asked these questions to yourself: “What am I doing here?” “Where is my life heading to?” “What am I supposed to accomplish in life?” Questions such as these demand profound reflection in order for us to arrive at the fundamental answers concern our reason of being.
          Our reason for being refers to the essence and purpose of our earthly existence. This is what people have been striving to understand and search for since time immemorial. It has preoccupied the minds of countless thinkers and philosophers even from the earliest times. Its impact had inspired one great Greek philosopher to say, “The unexamined life is not worth living.”
          If we are to address this vital issue during our dying state, by all means, it will be too late. By that time, nothing else could be done to alter the consequences of our past, should we find out that our life is headed for a tragic end. We, therefore, have to resolve this matter while we are still alive and able to act. In fact, the Bible says:
          “Listen, my child, be wise and give serious thought to the way you live.” (Prov. 23:19, Today’s English Version)
          But, we ordinarily observe people finding life’s meaning in different ways. Some find it in simply living routinely by the day, without bothering at all about life’s meaning and purpose. Others claim that they have clear and definite goals in life and have kept working to succeed in achieving them. Still others seem confused and are continuously searching for life’s true meaning. But, there are also those who find their life’s meaning in improving the lives of others and in contributing their efforts in making the world a better place to live. These are but some of the ways by which people like us find meaning in their life.
          Moreover, there are those who obviously don’t have a clear –cut meaning, and purpose in life, yet believe that they have lived their life quite well and that it is a tedious exercise to even just think about life’s meaning and purpose.
          As human beings, we are endowed with reason, free will, and the freedom of choice. But, these faculties should not lead us to misconstrue life’s true meaning as what has happened to some who considered themselves as the master s of their own destiny. For us not to be misled in the search for our reason for being, we ought to be wholly centered on God who is the real source of life. The Bible says:
          “After all this, there is only one thing to say: Have reverence for God, and obey his commands, because this is all that we are created for.” (Eccl. 12:13, Ibid.)
          “Worship the Lord with joy; come before him with happy songs!
          “Acknowledge that the Lord is God. He made us, and we belong to him; we are his people, we are his flock.” (Ps. 100:2-3, Ibid.)
          The true essence and purpose of our existence then is to be sought in the fulfillment of that single purpose---to honor and worship the Almighty God throughout our days. We ought to fulfill this purpose on top of our priorities as long as we live. When we die, we can longer fulfill the purpose of our existence, because the dead can never worship or praise God:
          “The Lord is not praised by the dead, by any who go down to the land of silence. But we, the living, will give thanks to him now and forever. Praise the Lord!” (Ps. 115:17-18, Ibid.)
          Therefore, while living, we ought to honor the Lord God and love Him above all by remaining faithful to His commandments (Mt. 22:23-38; I Jn. 5:3). We should let reverence for the Lord be the primary concern of our life (Prov. 23:17). By doing these, we are able to fulfill the ultimate purpose of our existence-our reason for being. (: