Do you sometimes wonder why you are here on earth? Are you waiting for answers to the question: What am I actually doing here? Even before my early morning devotions, an e-mail from Arrie (not his real name) flew in:

I have questions that remain unanswered. I search and search and even googled the other day. It was very funny when I later saw a survey on the top searches on Google. My question was among the top five!  It made me realise again that my questions are not unique, but that the whole of humankind is asking them.

All I want to know is why am I on earth? Why did God create the universe with people in it? What is my role as Arrie in this ant colony? There MUST be more to life than work, eat and sleep.

It’s interesting to see how people deal with this question. Again, due to my genetics, I want a logical answer. I do not accept “it is what it is”. I think as the centuries went by, from generation to generation, the real purpose of humankind got lost, and now we are going in a direction that had not been intended for us. The whole creation from the darkest corner of the universe to the earth is a scientific miracle. God is so great and almighty that I simply cannot accept that I have been put here simply to go to work, to eat and to sleep. There must be more to it … 

I feel driven to write to Arrie even before opening my Bible:

I believe that God put us on earth for one purpose only, and that is to choose for Him or against Him. He made us with the will to make our own choices. Obviously, He wants us to choose for Him, because He wants to see each of us with Him in heaven, but we have to make the choice ourselves.

But it doesn’t end there. The reason for our creation goes further than that. I suspect you only find it when you’ve made the choice for God. You see, Arrie, when you understand what Jesus had done for you on the cross, you have no choice but to be overwhelmed with gratitude. Then you start focusing less and less on yourself and more and more on the need in others. Then we have no choice but to help others. And in that way, we become Jesus’ hands and feet on earth. I suspect that is God’s intent with the world. That it should be a place where his children help one another to get through life and to eventually reach Him. Yes, each of us has a calling. The challenge is to discover that calling and then to live it in God’s Kingdom. And no, it is not to grab someone by the neck and say: “Choose or go to hell”. God gave each of us talents and those are the tools we need to fulfill our calling on earth.

After I hit the send button, I opened my Bible on screen and read my Scripture for the day: ¹So if you’re serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it. Pursue the things over which Christ presides.

That is our purpose on earth: Live like Jesus lived. Live a life where He will commend you and say: “Well done, mate! That is what God had planned for your life. That is why He put you here”.

Scripture

Colossians 3:1-4

Reflection

What do you think your purpose on earth is?

What does it mean in your life to be Jesus’ hands and feet?

Prayer

Lord, sometimes it is too much for me to think that You chose me with a specific purpose in mind. But I know that You’ve put me here to create a bit of heaven here on earth. I do know that I cannot do it on my own. Please take my hand. Amen.