I’ve been dealing with our purpose in life. I believe that deep in our core……… that purpose is to relate to God…….a God who is real and present in our lives.

But…….. how in the world do we go about it? In a way, today I shift from theory to practical application.

Here are some steps to consider:

Know God
Speak to God
Listen to God
Praise God

Step 1…….Know God

You may be surprised; but, this step has already begun. You were “hard wired” with some basic building blocks. These are things that you sense but cannot explain…….see last week’s post, part 2. (A sense of infinite time…..a sense that there is more to you than the physical). That sense, that is “written on your heart”, is a start. But, you need to build on it. “When in doubt read the instructions” is good advice. In this arena, the owner’s manual is the Bible……….it’s big and it can get a little thick. It is a bit intimidating. In fact only a minority of people who identify as Christians have ever read it cover to cover…….so you are not alone. There is no doubt that there are many committed atheists who have spent more time studying the bible than the average Christian. I use a smart phone app called “Bible in One Year” by Alpha Int. Each day there are 3 passages. It takes about 20 minutes a day. If that is too much, just read the new testament passage……maybe 6 minutes a day. If you find something interesting or confusing……… or troubling, Google it and head down the “rabbit hole”. Another tool to know God, is to find and attend a good church. Spend some time shopping around. For me, when church shopping, I find that about 1 church in 10 interests me. These tend to be the large “mega-churches”, but that may just be my style. If you don’t learn something and feel good after a visit……if you don’t feel love there, keep looking. Finally, seek out a “small group”. This is a group of 5 or 10 people with whom you are comfortable……. people who will share your joy……..and your pain. They will become like family. These are people who will love you and care for you right where you are. Same rule as the church………. if you don’t feel joy and love……… if you don’t feel safe……. move on.

Step 2…….Speak to God.

He really does want to hear from you……..every day. And don’t worry about bothering him………….he’ll be up late. This is prayer. You can use a memorized prayer. But, you’ll get more out of it if you treat it as a conversation where you can unburden yourself, the kind of conversation that you had with your Mom or Dad when you were young. You will get more out of it if you are completely honest………happy, mad, scared, hurt, in doubt……..it doesn’t matter. If you need something, ask……… he knows anyway.

Step 3……..Listen to God.

I suspect that none of us are very good at this. I know that I struggle with it. And no……….I don’t see a giant face in the clouds and hear a Charleton Heston voice. Sometimes, I get a sense of knowledge that is new to me. Often it is a gentle nudge to act. The key to “hearing God” is to allow a few minutes of quiet time each day…….and listen. I often sit down in a quiet peaceful place and begin with “Here I am”. Then I just shut up………and listen.

Step 4……..Praise God.

The fact is that God really doesn’t need your praise…….or mine for that matter. I’m sticking my neck out here…… but I suspect that God has a pretty solid self esteem. After all…….he is God. Still, I bet he’d like to hear a good word from you every now and then. Just as important, the praise is good for you. It is a reminder of the nature of your relationship with God. Your relationship with God is not a relationship of equals. God is not your personal “Gofer Guy”. Although you might think so if you listen to many Christians, myself included, giving God his daily “to do” list. Your job is not to critique God’s performance. Rather, your relationship with God is more like the ultimate parent-child relationship. Finally, praise is a way of evaluating how you are doing with steps 1-3. If you have no praise for God, then you may need to revisit Know, Speak, and Listen.

So……. there you have it………. a formula for building a relationship with a creator who is real, who loves you, and who wants a relationship……..with you. If you pursue it, if you pursue him, you will find joy, satisfaction, and peace……… commodities that can be hard to come by in our “modern”, “scientific”, “me centered” world.

If we are to live out our purpose, having a relationship with God, we must first settle another foundational question.

Is God real?

Pretty scary question. Whether you believe……..or not. It is so scary that Christians generally avoid it. We generally begin with God as an assumption. I worry that I may not handle this well……. but I’m going to try.

It’s scary because of the consequences of being wrong.

If you are a Christian, and the answer is no……… you’ve been tricked into wasting your time and money. Even if you live a life of kindness and generosity………somebody has made a fool of you.

If you are a non-believer, and the answer is yes………. at best, you miss out on paradise…….. at worst, you face something unspeakably horrible.

Atheists begin with an assumption too. They assume that science is complete. Anything that can’t be seen and measured today cannot be “real”. They focus on the lack of hard measurable “scientific” evidence of God……even though the scientists concede that they have only detected 5% of the universe…….(Google “black matter” & “black energy”). Do you ever wonder about what…….or who…….. is in the 95% of the cosmos that state of the art science just can’t find? Beyond that, how do you categorically rule out the existence of anything or anyone when you are 95% blind? Is it intellectually honest to confidently deny the supernatural in this setting? In a way, isn’t this giant “blind spot” the current definition of “supernatural”?

Christians focus on more intangible things. Things that science does not measure well. Hope, love, faith.

There is knowledge that we are born with……..every last one of us…..though some of us suppress it. The love of a parent for her child. The idea of a family. Our need for relationship. Our desire to be connected.

The Darwinist will say that these ideas are “positively adaptive” and therefore are supported by blind evolution. But, there is also some inborn knowledge that Darwin doesn’t deal with well. The sense that time is infinite. The sense that there is something after physical death. The sense that there is a part of us that transcends our physical bodies. The sense that we have a soul. The sense that our soul is somehow connected to infinite time. The sense that something is missing…….that someone is missing. In a word……….we feel a void……..we are incomplete. We try to avoid this thought because it is uncomfortable.

If you deeply search your heart (not your smart phone…..and certainly not your TV), you will find these ideas, though they may be deeply buried. Our modern, “scientific” (95% blind) culture suppresses them. Late night comedians laugh at them. The really smart people ignore them. They laugh at me too. But, deep down…… if you search your heart…….you can find them. If you look at somebody who is running his life well (his life……not his possessions) you will find that he is in touch with these ideas.

If these ideas were outliers…….only found in a few people…….we could dismiss them (religious nut jobs). The fact that they are almost universal suggests that they are real…….. that they are true. I believe that these ideas, ideas that are at the very core of our being, are evidence of a supernatural world……..a world above and beyond the small slice of reality that current science can see and measure………evidence of God. I won’t dive into specifics today.

So………. is the supernatural real?

Is God real?

Yes.

Because ……if we honestly and deeply search our hearts…… we can sense these intangible ideas. We can sense God. We can sense that science……that Darwin……… hasn’t explained it all. We are born with this knowledge………..even if the scientists cannot find it.

As a people, we keep asking a few fundamental questions.

Where did I come from?
Why am I here?
Where am I going from here?

Individually and corporately we ask these questions over and over again. Given the amount of time and effort we spend on them, they must be important.

I would propose that how accurately we answer these questions has a profound effect on how we live our lives and how much joy and satisfaction we draw from it.

I would propose that how happy YOU are……..right now, depends on how well you have dealt with these questions.

Today, I’m thinking about question #2. “Why am I here?”

Look at somebody you know who is miserable and has been that way forever. Odds are, he either hasn’t considered the question at all, or has answered it badly. An example would be the guy who believes that he is here to accumulate “status and stuff” (I’ve been there). He may be wildly successful in pursuing what he sees as his purpose (I was). And yet, he cannot seem to grasp that evanescent thing that he is after……deep down. Satisfaction……..joy………. they just seem to elude him. He keeps accumulating more stuff and still isn’t satisfied. He buries himself in his work. Then, one morning, he wakes up………old, tired, alienated, unhappy, and unfulfilled. This dynamic is behind a lot of “midlife crises”…….and, ladies, it’s not just limited to men.

Look at somebody you know who is filled with joy……..all day, every day. (OK maybe not every day…… but most days). Odds are that she has found the place where she just “fits in”. She has gifts, talents, some great, some small. But, here’s the main thing. She uses them to make things better for everybody in her world. She may not have “stuff”……she may experience setbacks; but, there is something about the way that she uses her gifts that gives her joy and satisfaction. Sounds a bit like “love your neighbor” doesn’t it? 

How will you know these people when you see them? They will either radiate joy…….. or sadness. And here is another key feature….. their joy or sadness will be relatively independent of their situation. I often tell people that I have a fairly rare skill set…….I have figured out how to be happy. And yet, 2 of my 3 sons died in their 30’s. My one living son was crippled in a motorcycle accident.

What’s the trick?

The trick is to know the answer to the question……”why am I here?”. 

I know the answer……. for me.

You have to figure it out ……… for you.

Or you could just ignore it………. you might get lucky. You might just stumble into the very special place that you fit into.

Here is some help in figuring out the answer to the question “why am I here?”

The answer is permanent……….it cannot be taken away from you…….by natural disaster, by financial ruin, by being put in jail, by the death of a loved one, by divorce, by disease or injury, by betrayal, by mistake.

The answer is not something that you get to choose. It is something that you have already been given……… you were born with it. It is “written on your heart”. If you are science oriented you would say that it is instinctive. If you are feelings oriented, you would call it your destiny. This really goes against the “mantra” of our age: “I am the center of the universe…….. the captain of my fate………my self fulfillment is the ultimate goal…….it’s all about me”.

The answer will lead you to the special place where you need to be.

The things that the answer leads you to do are not directed toward you. Paradoxically,   they are directed away from you. This is what makes finding the answer so hard……especially in our “me centered” culture. The benefit to you is indirect. You reach out…… you give……..without preconditions. There is no “quid pro quo”. Satisfaction and joy come back to you………again, without preconditions.

You already know the answer. If you deeply search your heart, you can find it……though you may have been resisting it for your entire life.

You will know when you have found it………because you will suddenly experience a deep abiding sense of satisfaction and joy………peace that transcends your situation.

So………why am I here?

I am here…….I was created…….. for relationship with God……….Abba………..my Dad. Sounds like “love God” doesn’t it? 

On the days when I pursue that relationship well………I am joyful……….other days……… not so much.

So……… why are YOU here?

We hear a lot about hate these days. It has even become a new category of crime. I find that I watch less and less TV lately. But, when I do watch, I see more and more hate. I see it on the news. I see it in prime time entertainment. It is especially rampant on the talk shows. I would argue that the “talking heads” on TV are one of the deepest reservoirs of hate in our society……….. right up there with politicians.

For those of you who are less than 65 years old, here is a list of popular TV shows from the 60’s: “Leave it to Beaver”, “Bonanza”, “Ozzie & Hariett”, “Gomer Pyle”, “Andy of Mayberry”, “The Brady Bunch”, “The Tonight Show”…… you get the point. These shows were a lot of things……..but they were fairly hate free. Compare these shows to the fare we get during prime time today. Talk shows are even worse. Politicians……. both on the left and on the right are the worst of all.

And the hate is growing………it’s growing so fast that it is scary.

If hate is a good thing……. then we are in “hog heaven”.

But, I doubt that any one of us thinks that hate is good.

It is very easy to spot hate when it is directed toward people that we agree with………. it is much less obvious and much less offensive when the hate is directed toward our enemies. It can even feel noble to hate our enemies………after all they are evil…..aren’t they?

Here is the trick.

The politicians and the talking heads on TV demonize anybody that they disagree with. They work very hard to fertilize and cultivate our list of enemies. Their sponsors and donors spend billions of dollars to grow our list of enemies. Together they spend billions of dollars and hours of prime time to grow our hate. Then, in an act of amazing hypocrisy, they object to the fact that the other side……. “the enemy” ……..is doing the same thing.

Here is a profound truth.

Your “enemy”……… the guy that your TV, smart phone, and your computer want you to hate…..is a lot like you. In fact, he wants the same things that you want: safety for his family and community, financial security (not a Porsche in the drive, but enough to feed and shelter his family), a decent job, health care that won’t bankrupt him, air that he can breath, and water that he can drink. In a word……. your “enemy” is not evil……..he is almost like you……..he just sees a different way of getting there……… and the politicians and “talking heads” hate him for it.

The politicians & the talking heads……..your TV, smart phone, and your computer…….. have lied to you……. they have recruited you into their hate. I know his sounds strong……… but if you look at what they feed you objectively……… you will see what I’m saying. Think about the people that they want you to hate. What have they done to harm you personally? Did they hit you, rob you, steal your car, vandalize your home? No……. what they did was to intellectually offend the talking head.

So………. what do we do? How can we, as a people, fight back against hate?

First and foremost……. we must identify the “enemies” whom we have been taught to hate. If you are having trouble making a list…………start with Trump and Pelosi. You can probably come up with a list of a dozen specific names. Add to that the nameless faceless classes of “enemies”: illegals, the “one percent”, black people, white people, etc. Then we need to recognize them as people very much like us…… people who, in the final analysis, want about the same things that we want.

Second…….. we must learn to disagree with them without anger…… without hate. We must learn to talk about our problems with each other…….like adults……. without rancor. We must recognize that the “other side” has good workable solutions too.

Third……..it’s time to start filtering out the inputs that are trying to grow our hate. I admit that it’s unrealistic to throw our TV, computer, and smart phone into the trash…….. although that would go a long way toward solving the problem. But, what we can do, is pull the plug on any media outlet, talking head, or politician the instant that they cross the line into hate. This will be easy when they are hating you or your people. It will be much harder to spot and act on when they are hating your “enemies”.

Just remember, the media and the politicians are the ones who sold you your list of enemies in the first place.

Here is my hopeful thought for this week:
A talking head on TV tries to recruit you to hate his “enemy du jour”.
You turn off the TV.
His ratings drop.
His sponsors flee.
He is replaced by another talking head with his list of enemies.
Repeat this until the media catches on. This could take a while……. they sincerely believe that they are smarter than you are.

Or…………….you could just keep on ingesting the hate…….but what does that say about you? In the end………we get the world that we deserve.

So…….. when you are watching Fox and Hannity laces into somebody……….. when you are watching a late night talk show and Colbert laces into somebody……… just turn it off. Just pull the plug on hate. Keep a good book handy as a backup.

I’ve just finished reading “Educated” by Tara Westover. I highly recommend it.

You can, as a Christian, disagree with others.

But, there is nothing Christian about hate.

Even if the person whom you are hating is wrong.

Today’s post is a simple exercise……. sort of a way to kick the tires…….. to see what Christianity is like for the non-believer……. or to refresh yourself if you are a believer.

Take a minute…….bring to mind somebody you are mad at. It needs to be somebody close to you…… somebody you interact with regularly. Please don’t pick somebody whom you don’t deal with directly……. please don’t pick Trump, Clinton, etc.

This could be somebody who has disappointed you, maybe a family member. It could be someone who has failed to deliver on a promise, maybe a businessman. It could be somebody who has physically or financially harmed you. The hurt that they caused could be recent……….or it could be decades ago. But, the person must be present in your life today.

The exercise is to love them. If they are truly dangerous, you may need to do it from a distance. It is better if you can love them up close.

Practically speaking, how do you go about it? Here are some suggestions.

Pray for them……. you can skip this if you are a non- believer….. the exercise will still work.

Call to mind something positive about them……. and everybody has good points. With some people you just have to dig a little deeper.

If possible engage then in a positive way…… talk to them, text them, send them a Christmas card.

Say or do something nice. It may be something that they really don’t deserve…….. something that they haven’t earned. (Sounds a little like grace?) If it feels a little weird…….well that’s kind of the point.

Finally, and this is the hard part, forgive them for whatever they did that made you mad. If you can forgive them for just one day, that’s enough. If you can forgive them forever, that’s even better.

If you can pull this off, for even one day, you will discover something. You will have given somebody a very valuable gift. The recipient of the gift though……….is not the other guy…..it is you. And the longer that you can keep it up……… the greater the gift that you give yourself.

You are probably sceptical……… but if you sincerely try the exercise, you will be surprised. You might say…….”this is all fine and good……. but what does it have to do with Christianity?”…………everything.

This is the very heart of Christianity…….to love your fellow man….specifically those who have mistreated you. More than that, this is the example that Christ lived out with his life and death.

You can see that this is way different from what the pundits and talking heads on TV tell you to do. ( I’m talking about the Hannitys and the Acostas of the world.) This is the difference between the Christian world (properly done) and the secular world.

This exercise will probably have little effect on the person whom you chose…….although you might be surprised.
But, after a day, consider whether YOU are better off or not. I am convinced that the most reliable path to true, durable happiness……..to joy……..is loving others.

If you find that loving others makes you happy, then pursue it. If you are rebuffed, try again with somebody else.

By loving others, even those who don’t deserve it, you are following Christ’s example and his teaching.

Christianity, it turns out, is far simpler than you thought.