There's a country song that argues that the secret of life can be found in the simple things . . . a good cup of coffee, staying up late, etc. The problem with this strain of thought is that those things are the essence of life, rather than the meaning. Those are the things that we forget to enjoy, the basics that build the foundation of happiness.

Before happiness, though, we must have peace, an elusive state of min that can be found when we understand why we are here and what our destiny is. Peace is a virtue that has gotten lost in the busyness of today's society, the rush of getting to work in the morning, the stress of sitting in traffic. Nevermind family get-togethers.

Many people believe the meaning of life is found in bringing happiness to others by taking care of them. However, I believe the meaning is deeper than our understanding and limiting it to human ability sets us up for disappointment. None of us are completely selfless an a life dedicated totally for others will drain us and leave us feeling empty.

It is also thought that each of us must find our own meaning, which leads to this question: if we were all put here together, to lead paths that cross with each other, shouldn't the meaning of life be universal? None of us are an island. The world is much bigger than just one individual, and life itself encompasses more than what we wish it to be.

The meaning of life, our destiny, can not be determined without answering the question of how we come to be here. If we believe that life exists by chance then there can't be a meaning because nothing will have lasting (eternal) consequences. The only meaning life can possibly have at that point is what we give each other, and humans are known to fail miserably at fulfilling another person's needs.

On the other hand, if we accept the reality that we were in fact designed, then the age-old question becomes a God thing. For how can life have any meaning other than what the Creator Himself gave it? We must know that life, its meaning, is a deeply personal issue between us and the One who made us.

I don't believe that service to God is enough. Many people have served Him to no lasting effect. What, then, are we left with?

Glory: adoring praise or worshipful thanksgiving. When we are in a state of bringing honor to God, all of the already mentioned theories fall right into place. If we want to bring glory to God, we will go out of our way to help people. We will find our own peace and happiness. The difference is that it's for a reason higher than us, higher than our present conditions.

It seems so simple, but maybe life is. To know what we are doing here, perhaps all we need to do is ask the God that wrote the story of our lives.

Learn more about this author, Brianna Stanley.
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