Every one of us is on a journey to discover purpose and meaning in life. It’s a journey. We can’t compare our life to others—we have no idea what their journey is all about. There is no right or wrong path to take. We are not more advanced or less enlightened; we are exactly where we need to be. It’s not a contest. It’s life. We are all teachers, and we are all students.
When I look back over my life and the “spiritual markers” along the way, I realize that most of my major decisions were made before I was even wise enough to make them. It has been a case of sanctified serendipity.
The way to make a difference in this world is to become what everyone else is not—joyful, content, and full of life. I believe God’s purpose for each of us is simple: to let Him love us, to love Him in return, and then to love one another. We are free to live as God leads us, but we are not free to interfere with others trying to do the same. The journey itself is the destination.
Life has been described with many metaphors, and one of the most common is life as a battle. But I don’t like to think of life that way. If we treat life as a constant struggle, it will become one, and joy will be hard to find. I prefer to think of life as a journey—one where the difficulties we face are hills we must climb. The hills are there for a reason, even if we don’t always understand why. And when we finally reach the top, the sense of accomplishment is almost always worth the effort.
Sometimes God holds us back temporarily until the road ahead is safe and clear. Be thankful for the “stall.” To be happy, we must let go of what’s causing us pain. Be grateful for what remains, and look forward to what’s coming next. It is during the worst storms of life that we see the true colors of the people who say they care about us.
Perhaps the best metaphor of all is life as a river. When we let the current carry us, we’re far better off than when we fight against it. This doesn’t mean life is effortless—some parts of the river are hazardous and require great skill to navigate. We must learn when to ask for help with the paddling, and when to stop paddling altogether and trust the flow.
It would be nice if life came without pain, disappointment, or setbacks, but every successful person has faced adversity. What sets them apart is how they respond to it. Successful people don’t stay discouraged—they get up from each disappointment with renewed determination to keep going.
In the end, what really matters is not what we bought but what we built. Not what we received, but what we gave. Not our competence, but our character. Not our success, but our significance. Live a life that matters. Live a life of love. Life doesn’t have to be perfect to be wonderful. It’s not about holding the best cards—it’s about how well we play the ones we’ve been dealt.
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