The Importance of Finding Purpose and Meaning in Your Life

Why do you do the things that you do? Our lives are often a mad flurry of activity, and some of that is just busy work that doesn’t hold much meaning or value for us. One ancient Greek philosopher once said that “the unexamined life is not worth living”, reminding us of the value of being intentional and thoughtful about what we do, and working at finding purpose in our lives.

People can accomplish astonishing things, especially when they are motivated to do so. We can be creative, push through obstacles, overcome complex challenges, make discoveries, and so much more. When we are driven by a sense of purpose and the desire for meaning, that can lead to positive, healthy, behaviors as we have a greater sense of satisfaction and control over our lives.

The importance of finding purpose and meaning

All of us need the sense that what we do, and indeed our lives, have meaning. When a person feels like they have a sense of their purpose, they tend to live longer. We all carry the innate desire for our lives and what we do to matter, and when we find something that fulfills that desire, it helps connect us to a sense of purpose and we tend to order our lives in such a way that we have more positive health outcomes.

When you have a deeper sense of purpose in your life, it can reduce your impulsive and self-destructive behaviors because you have a deeper satisfaction that drives you and gives you a sense of well-being. Having a sense of purpose also makes for stronger personal relationships with others, and when combined with and as a career, it can potentially lead to higher income and deeper job satisfaction.

Your life purpose doesn’t have to be a grand thing like bringing about world peace, or an end to food inequality. It can be that, but it can also be about something as seemingly mundane as being present for your family or doing the best you can to serve the people around you with the gifts and resources the Lord has given you.

There is, from a Christian perspective, a broad purpose that all people have. One ancient Christian, Augustine, wrote that God made us for Himself, “and our hearts find no peace until they rest in [Him]”. We can try and find ultimate meaning in our work, our relationships, or our stuff, but those things will never satisfy us fully because our higher and deeper purpose is to be worshippers who delight and rest in the One who created them.

That means that our other pursuits may satisfy us, but that satisfaction will be partial and incomplete. We may, in fact, find ourselves frustrated if we try to find ultimate satisfaction in things other than God because they can never deliver the rest we’re looking for. Our gifts, passions, and interests may find expression in different things, but they flow out of and into this larger purpose we have as created beings made by a good God.

Some challenges in finding your purpose

If finding your purpose is so important, knowing the challenges you’ll likely encounter on that path and how to overcome them is just as important. One of the obstacles to finding and pursuing your purpose is the illusion that things are going well, and the fear of disrupting what seems to be a good thing. There are a few examples of this in Scripture, but the story of the rich young man who came to Jesus stands out.

The story told in several of the gospels is that of a young man with great wealth who came to Jesus to ask Him what he should do to get eternal life. He’d tried what he knew but still felt that something was lacking, and he asked Jesus what he could do to achieve this goal he’d pursued for much of his life. Jesus proposed a radical shift and rethinking of everything, including the man’s wealth. He walked away sad because he was quite wealthy (Matthew 19:16-30).

This story illustrates several things, including the fact that finding your purpose doesn’t mean things will get easier. In fact, things may get harder before they get easier, because you may have to change things in your life to better align it with your purpose. If you’re afraid of disruption, rejection, or failure, you may find the answer right before you, but you don’t take the necessary next step.

Fear of the unknown, the belief that you’re not good enough or capable enough to pursue your purpose – these can all conspire to limit your horizons and undermine your confidence as you seek your purpose.

How to find purpose and meaning in your life

Our lives are composed of many circles of relationships and purposes. There may be one grand purpose for our lives, to enjoy and worship God with everything in us, and in that, there may be several other goals that animate us and guide our everyday choices. Finding purpose and meaning in your life can be as simple as looking at your life from an entirely different angle.

Sometimes our lives are shaped by circumstances that are beyond our control. But even in those situations, we can catch glimpses of ourselves and who we were made to be shining through. You may be working at a job you take no pleasure in. However, the way you do that job, or how you approach it may carry your unique handprint. Don’t be quick to dismiss that. Looking at life through that lens of who you uniquely are can make a huge difference.

An example may be helpful. You may be stuck in a job where you’re always crunching numbers, and you don’t interact often with people. You might be the sort of person who prefers being with people to dealing with sterile numbers. However, one way to approach your work in a meaningful way is to recognize how behind every number you’re dealing with is a person with a story.

Other ways to find meaning and purpose in your life include the following:

Take time to reflect

Take a look at your life, and ask yourself a few key questions – what gives you joy? What injustices around you bother you and do you feel passionate about addressing them? Who are the people you find yourself looking up to, and why do these people occupy that place of honor? These questions can help you understand yourself, your values, and your goals better.

Be willing to disrupt yourself and be disrupted

Most of us have something of a blueprint for our lives. That blueprint may lay out what we think matters, goals we feel we need to accomplish by a certain time in our lives, and so on. These beliefs about what matters most in life and what makes for satisfying goals can come from our loved ones and the society and culture around us.

The rich young man from the biblical story mentioned above had a script that was informed by his upbringing and his understanding of spirituality. Jesus, in His typical way, disrupted that, calling him toward a deeper and complete surrender to God. The young man turned away sadly because he didn’t welcome Jesus’ disruption of what seemed like a winning formula. He missed out on a great adventure, as a result.

Part of how we can disrupt our own script is by listening to others, whether new people we wouldn’t ordinarily talk to or by listening to the feedback that the people in our lives give us. These conversations can open new vistas to explore, and point to things in our lives that we may be blind to.

Take a moment to dream about your future

If you were asked “What does your ideal life look like?”, what sort of picture would you draw to answer that question? The shape of that picture can give you a glimpse into the sorts of things that matter to you and that you may want to start aiming your life toward.

Seek support

God created us as communal beings, and a huge part of finding our purpose is finding our place among our fellow humans. The community of people that you surround yourself with can help you discover your purpose.

You can also speak with a counselor or life coach at Los Angeles Christian Counseling in California to help unpack and explore your passions, gifts, and needs so that you find and pursue your life purpose. The counselors at Los Angeles Christian Counseling would be happy to walk you through finding that purpose. Give us a call today.