What is this life really all about?

As I sit here watching an internet livestream of a Memorial Service for a little four-year-old boy who lost his battle with cancer, I couldn’t help but ask God “What is this life really about?! Why does a four-year-old boy have to suffer and die from cancer? What is the purpose of this life and all the trials we go through?” I didn’t get an immediate answer and I’m still trying to process the answer I did get hours later, but here are my thoughts on what this life is really all about:

First let’s start with what this life is NOT about. It’s not about making lots of money. Money can disappear in a flash. Money is just temporary. Look at Chase Bank… or the stock market crash. People who thought they had it all… lost it all in a matter of seconds and there was nothing they could do to change what had happened. Money is temporary.

It’s not about happiness. Happiness too can be gone like the wind. Have one tragic event in your life hit and BOOM your happiness is G.O.N.E. Most of the time we base our happiness on our feelings and we all know that feelings come and go. They are temporary.

It’s not about becoming famous or having notoriety. All of this is temporary and out of your control. You might feel like you’re in control but I guarantee when death or severe illness hits you or your loved ones, you will realize quickly that it’s ALL out of your control. It doesn’t matter how famous you are. Life comes down hard on all of us at times. And in a flash those who were famous have been replaced with someone even more appealing. It’s all temporary.

Is this life about always ‘feeling good’? Always searching for that next thing that will make you happy? Things like a glass of wine, a night at the club, a new car, a new house, a great vacation. All those things that have the ability to temporarily shield us from the cares of this world are also… temporary.

Is it bad to feel good? No. But sometimes it’s good to feel bad. If we didn’t feel bad for the starving children in a third world country, we would never offer to help. If we didn’t feel bad about a friend who is struggling we wouldn’t have compassion on them. Sometimes it is good to feel bad.

Is this life about being “spiritual”? Is it about being “out there” or in “another dimension”? I’ve gotta be honest, I don’t see any of those references in the Bible. What good does it do if you’re so Heavenly minded that the people here on earth look at you with their heads tilted thinking “Wow! She’s really out there!” I only see Jesus being REAL and ministering to those who need help. He’s in a boat fishing, he’s eating dinner with the tax collectors, he’s letting a woman with a bad reputation wash His feet. People can smell a fake miles away. It’s time to just be R.E.A.L. Jesus was not about being in another dimension. He was about being what people needed.

I Corinthians 9: 19-23 Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.

So again… what is this life really all about? As I watched this little boy’s parents stand with such composure and talk about the son they just lost on Mother's Day, I was amazed and shocked at their strength. I even questioned whether I would be able to do that in my own strength. But here’s the key. This is not about us doing life in our own strength. There are too many circumstances that require more strength than we humanly have. This life is about leaning on the strength of a Heavenly Father who will carry us through those times when we are too weak. And as He carries us, others are amazed and shocked at what they see us walk through. Some will know it’s God’s strength; others will need to be told.

This life is about relationship. Relationship with our families, our friends, our church, and most importantly our God. He created us to have a relationship with Him. The definition of relationship is: 1. the state of being connected or related 2. association by blood or marriage; kinship.

God created you to have a relationship with Him. A relationship is a journey where two people relate to each other. You can't have relationship without fellowship. If you don't take the time to fellowship with God you will never build a good relationship. If partners don’t communicate they fail at their relationship. What is your communication with God like? Do you find time to talk to Him? More importantly, do you find time to let Him talk to you? Jesus said, "My sheep know my voice, and I know them, and they follow me" (John 10:27). This is eternal.

So we understand that life is NOT about the temporal things of this world but rather the eternal things: II Corinthians 4:18 So we don't look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.

There’s a scripture that has bothered me for many years: Matthew 7:22-23 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

For years I wondered why God would tell someone who has prophesied and cast out demons “depart from me. I never knew you.” Finally about a year ago, I decided to really dwell on that scripture and prayed for clarity. That’s when the Lord showed me one little secret in that entire verse. “I never knew you.”

Upon researching the greek word “knew” that was used in this verse I learned that it meant to have a relationship with, to be intimate with. Adam knew Eve and she bore a son. Joseph knew not Mary until she gave birth to Jesus. What God is saying to those who enter eternity is “You did a lot of nice things… but we didn’t have a relationship. I never knew you.”

So I propose to you today that we make two lists. One list for those things that are temporary and the other for those that are eternal. Then we dedicate our lives to those things that are eternal.

What a tragedy to go through this life only to realize we missed the entire meaning of life. Don’t miss the meaning of life. Live life on purpose. Work on your relationship with God and with those around you.

When we get to those pearly gates may we all hear “Welcome home thou good and faithful servant." And not “Depart from Me. I never knew you.”