What Am I Doing Here?

Written by Sherri Bergmann

A teenager feels confused, depressed, and out of place in the world, even with family, and wonders what the point is to live.

A cancer survivor wonders why he is still here.

A senior is forced into retiring and feels useless.

Life feels like Ecclesiastes 1:14, “I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind."

There is something that the teenager, the cancer survivor, the retired senior, and many of us, have forgotten: He isn’t done with us yet.

“God began doing a good work in you, and he will continue until it is finished” (Philippians 1:6).

 There is work to do.

“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:10).

SO WHAT DO WE DO?

We have a mission: Love God and Love Others. These are the two greatest commandments Christ gave in Matthew 22:37, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and first commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” The more we can love others, the brighter our days will be, and it will brighten the days of those around us. 


WHAT DOES THIS LOOK LIKE?  
Spending time with Jesus, doing good works, making another’s life better, bringing people to Christ, and reflecting Him and bringing glory to Him in everything that we do. He gave us gifts and talents to use and to share with others. 

Somebody, somewhere needs us. Some can’t get from here to there unless we can make that difference. We may have one hour left to live, or many more. While we love others and see the good we can do,  we grow to improve ourselves to better love God and others.

Even a bedridden person can fulfill God’s high calling to love Him and others. They can uplift those who help care for them. A smile and kind words can go a long way. The effort to make one leave happier than when they first came in is meaningful. Praying can move mountains.

SO WHAT ABOUT ECCLESIASTES?
In Ecclesiastes, an important point is made to bring meaning into our lives, “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might.” Ecclesiastes 9:10. The writer knew that to serve God and others any less than our best in thought, heart and deed is futile.

Ecclesiastes also sums up the purpose in life: “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man” (Ecclesiastes 12:13).

Paul also encourages us in this, “And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men” (Colossians 3:23). When we fear God and keep his commands and work as if we’re working for the Lord, we’ll reap the reward of a fulfilling and meaningful life no matter our circumstances.

Ecclesiastes was written before Christ came to earth, but Christ echoed the same message: love God and love others. Keeping that mission in mind daily gives us goals to reach for. We don’t need any other goals. All the other things in life that we want will follow in doing the two greatest commandments. Our life and time are not wasted when we love. Anything else is meaningless.