My Purpose in Life
Core Values and Beliefs
Purpose
Why did I spend so much time talking about my core beliefs? What does that have to do with my purpose, mission and strategic plan? Everything. As you will see, all the rest of the pieces begin to fit with ease. Life makes sense and things start to fall into place without so much chaos and confusion.
My purpose in life is simply to do what God requires of me…
Love God and love my neighbor.
There you have it… my “secret” to a successful life. If my tombstone can read “He loved God and his neighbor,” then I will have been successful.
“Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” – Psalm 37:4
For a few years I struggled over the “meaning of life.” Who am I and why am I here? This question became very strong for me during a mid-life crisis, which began when I turned 40. “What’s it all about, Alfie?” became my theme song. Something about the personality of an engineer makes them ask a lot of “why” and “how” questions. It’s in my nature.
I think at some point we all ask ourselves these questions. It’s not just engineers that search for the meaning of life…we all do. I recently saw a popular movie titled “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” that takes a satirical look at the meaning of life. If you read the book or saw the movie, you already know the answer…42. (I said it was a satire.) If you have found yourself on a similar quest to understand the meaning of life, then you know it is a spiritual journey.
The answer to my question is therefore based on my core values and beliefs. The Christian, Jewish, and Muslim faiths all share a common belief in a Creator of the universe and everything in it. I share this belief, that there is one God and he created me for a purpose. What is that purpose? Why did he create me?
“The Lord has told you, human, what is good;
he has told you what he wants from you:
to do what is right to other people,
love being kind to others,
and live humbly, obeying your God.”
- Micah 6:8
Experts of the Old Testament law asked Jesus this question to test him: “Teacher, which command in the law is the most important.” Jesus said to them that the most important command is to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.” He then added a second command like the first: “Love your neighbor as you love yourself.”
Each of us, as a unique individual, has the free will to decide what we are going to do with this life. We can choose to believe whatever we want. We can refuse to believe there is a God, and decide to live entirely for our own pleasure and self-fulfillment. Go for the gusto! Eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we die.
As for me and my house…I choose to believe in the Lord of all creation. This is NOT simply a blind faith or positive thinking on my part. For I have been blessed in that God Himself has touched me in the deepest parts, and I KNOW by EXPERIENCE that He is Lord. This is the truth that set me free. I am not god…He is. That is true freedom. Knowing this, how can I not serve Him?
I think at some point we all ask ourselves these questions. It’s not just engineers that search for the meaning of life…we all do. I recently saw a popular movie titled “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” that takes a satirical look at the meaning of life. If you read the book or saw the movie, you already know the answer…42. (I said it was a satire.) If you have found yourself on a similar quest to understand the meaning of life, then you know it is a spiritual journey.
The answer to my question is therefore based on my core values and beliefs. The Christian, Jewish, and Muslim faiths all share a common belief in a Creator of the universe and everything in it. I share this belief, that there is one God and he created me for a purpose. What is that purpose? Why did he create me?
“The Lord has told you, human, what is good;
he has told you what he wants from you:
to do what is right to other people,
love being kind to others,
and live humbly, obeying your God.”
- Micah 6:8
Experts of the Old Testament law asked Jesus this question to test him: “Teacher, which command in the law is the most important.” Jesus said to them that the most important command is to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.” He then added a second command like the first: “Love your neighbor as you love yourself.”
Each of us, as a unique individual, has the free will to decide what we are going to do with this life. We can choose to believe whatever we want. We can refuse to believe there is a God, and decide to live entirely for our own pleasure and self-fulfillment. Go for the gusto! Eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we die.
As for me and my house…I choose to believe in the Lord of all creation. This is NOT simply a blind faith or positive thinking on my part. For I have been blessed in that God Himself has touched me in the deepest parts, and I KNOW by EXPERIENCE that He is Lord. This is the truth that set me free. I am not god…He is. That is true freedom. Knowing this, how can I not serve Him?
Purpose
Why did I spend so much time talking about my core beliefs? What does that have to do with my purpose, mission and strategic plan? Everything. As you will see, all the rest of the pieces begin to fit with ease. Life makes sense and things start to fall into place without so much chaos and confusion.
My purpose in life is simply to do what God requires of me…
There you have it… my “secret” to a successful life. If my tombstone can read “He loved God and his neighbor,” then I will have been successful.
“Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” – Psalm 37:4
posted by Scott at 5:06 PM
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