“I have come that they might have life . . .”  Jesus

“The Life I now live is hidden with Christ . . .” St. Paul

My daughter put me onto the Netflix show “After Life” starring Ricky Gervais (If you’re offended by him, his language or his coarse sense of humor, don’t watch).  Spoiler alert: His wife dies of cancer and he’s trying to make sense of the meaning and purpose of his life without her.  Woven into his story are those of others who are living and dying . . .  and living.  It’s a powerful program which prompts profound questions on many levels, not the least of which is “What is the meaning of (my) life?”

How would you answer that?  Have you answered it?  Where have you sought the answers?  And have you not only asked the question, but listened for the answers?

“Others” in our lives and society provide ample ammunition for us to arrive at answers to that question; Answers that are often-times conditioned by externals and ultimately are unsatisfactory if not plain wrong.  We are told, either directly or indirectly, that going to school, following sets of rules (commandments), achieving success, being admired, accumulating wealth, pursuing happiness and personal fulfillment, dedicating ourselves to certain causes, following set principals or other influential personages, subscribing to a religion or philosophy, believing certain things in a certain way, sacrificing our selves for the sake of others, or pursuing some other noble pursuit all may provide answers for the meaning of life and purpose for our own.  And we listen.  And we listen.  And we listen;  To all of these other “voices”. 

I’d like to pause here to ask you a question:  Have you ever listened to your own voice?  To your Self?  When was the last time you listened to the Life that lives within you?  (Ok, I asked three questions). If so, what did that voice sound like? Did it sound comforting or congratulatory? Possibly for many of us it sounded quite critical, condemning us for past mistakes, mishaps and even maleficent intentions, actions, and interactions with others. What would it take to quiet the voice of self-criticism and instead listen to a kinder, gentler voice that is far more true? A voice that speaks both from without and within? Say, the voice of Christ, for example.

The first thing one might notice about this voice is that there is absolutely no condemnation for anything or anyone (Romans 8:1). And the second thing is that it calls softly to us, often-times in the midst of our lowest and most meaningless times in life. This voice can do so because He Himself has lived the life that we live, which includes not only the joys but the sorrows and sufferings as well.

Jesus said that His purpose in life was to give us life.  In order to do so He lived a life of suffering.  Could it be that in His suffering we are able to make some sense of our own?  And even more, could it be that in our own suffering we find purpose and meaning for life?  In fact, the perspective with which we view suffering itself may provide a pivot point for purpose.  Someone once said that “Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional.”  What do you think of that?  It is paradoxical that in the midst of pain we could discover the pleasure of some sense of purpose to life.  Certainly that is true in the life of Jesus. 

It was also true for one of the first followers of The Way;  Saul of Tarsus.  Through his personal conversion to Christ he discovered the answer to the Question.  It’s important to note though, that the other questions of life didn’t leave him.  Paul listened to the Voice that first called to him on the road to Damascus, and that continued to speak deep within him which gave him the ability to not only find meaning for himself, but to convey it to others. The answer to the question of your life’s meaning may or may not be as clear as Paul’s.  It may be similar, but certainly not the same.  For we are each living our own lives which uniquely reflect the image of God within us.  It is because of this that we can with confidence ask the question of the meaning of life, and more specifically as it applies to our own lives.  And in so doing we can listen to the answer spoken softly by the Voice which is within us, disguised as Life itself.