5 funerals and 2 stressful job changes in 2 years. Knowing the truth of God is the only thing that helped me make sense of the tragedies as they unfolded between 2010 and 2012.
How could the dreary view of Tolstoy bring any hope to that kind of hope to life when you’re in the darkness of life? He’s famous for his quote:
“The only absolute knowledge attainable by man is that life is meaningless.”
Life without meaning?
Without meaning, what’s the point of living?
Why is suicide illegal?
Why is murder bad?
I don’t ask these questions lightly either – if we really want to take away meaning, then what’s the point?
“For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the Kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on the earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities – all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.” Colossians 1:13 – 17
Life has meaning!
The Christian worldview says that you are valuable and have meaning. Contrast that with Tolstoy’s statement (who reverted to Christianity after attempted suicide by the way).
Christ rescues us from darkness. He did so through his death on the cross and resurrection from the dead. It’s through Him that we have restoration.
Can you imagine the contrast here!
One hand, you have “meaningless life.”
On the other hand, you have “I will die for you!”
Where is the value?
Created by God and for God
God died on the cross for me because I am created in the image of God, as are you. You reflect His nature and were created by Him and for Him – this is our purpose:
We are created for relationship. God doesn’t call us to a life of loneliness. He calls us to be in relationship with Him. Through our relationship with Him, we find our meaning.
We are not created for:
- We are not created for a “career.” God created us to be in relationship with Him – not to do a specific task. There is a wonderful freedom in this – you are not stuck in one career path.
Your task is to glorify God in the position you’re in, not make your position your calling.
- We are not created for a specific location. Because we are in God, and God is Lord over all the heavens and earth, we don’t need to stay in one spot.
Often, God calls people out of where they are to help them grow in their relationship with Him!
Rescued from the Darkness
Because God created everything, we can rest in the comfort that He is watching over us. He knows who has authority over our life and He tells us that He holds all things together!
Moreover, being called by Christ takes us out of the darkness of being stuck to one career or location. Because our focus is on relationship with Him, we can be at peace wherever we are doing whatever we do.
Our identity is rooted in Him.
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