What is the meaning of life? We may live a lifetime and may still not completely know.
As members of the church, we like to think we have a better understanding than the regular person, we are here to gain a physical body and be tested, to see if we will follow God’s commandments. Our path is to become like our Savior Jesus Christ.
Questions can linger and it can still feel like an incomplete puzzle. Life continues to have its ups and downs. There are trials and struggles. We may never achieve our personal dreams, goals, or aspirations. Those may not be part of God’s plan for us. Maybe no matter how hard we try, we always fail.
We trudge forward through life with nothing more than faith and hope that the path we are on is true. That the foundational principles we have learned and live by will truly bring us joy and eternal blessings.
Honestly, personally, I don’t see any other way.
A Daddy Daughter Talk
My daughter came home last night and was sad because of some things that had transpired with friends earlier in the evening. Most of it centered on the natural imbalance that exists between people. Some have it and some don’t. Our lives are each uniquely different. But often we recognize the things we don’t have and the things we desire more than the things we are or the things we have.
We talked about it for a while. At least I talked until she told me I talked too much and she was no longer listening.
If I had my choice, and I could go back and live life again at her age, there is one major change I would make. [By the way, I never want that to happen. It’s not a wish.] The change I would make is to be loving and kind to everyone. To never speak ill of anyone. And be content with who I am and what makes me unique. To love God and love my neighbor. To do all of that even if I’m hated, rejected, despised, made fun of, or lonely.
It’s funny, as I was writing that last paragraph, I had the thought, why can’t I just be that way now? Why can’t I do that going forward? Honestly, I can. If I haven’t been that person in the past, I can still be that person in the future.
I don’t have all the answers to life. But I have lived long enough to know walking a path of darkness does not bring hope or happiness. Even a simple process of elimination shows it isn’t a good choice. It’s just an easy choice.
I’ve had enough spiritual experiences in life that my faith and hope are strong. They validate that the teachings of Jesus Christ are the best path in life. Even though there are ups and downs in life and all the answers feel incomplete, I see no other path forward. No other path offers genuine happiness.
There is no other path
As I was writing this, I thought of a graph that would reflect my course through life. It clearly has not been a straight path. It hasn’t been easy. I would like to think I am vacillating back and forth more between degrees of spiritual living than falling into serious transgression. Life has not been easy. But, I see no other way.
If I didn’t have the Gospel of Jesus Christ, where would I go? There is nowhere to go. Some have justified leaving the church as a place to go. Some have justified other denominations as a place to go. Some have justified some level of “freedom from religion” as a place to go.
None of those are an option. There is no other path that will bring even a measure of contentment to my soul.
My Spirituality Graph
