If I were to ask you, "What is the goal of life?" what would your response be? Some might say it is to reach your full potential; others would say it is to travel the world, or simply to eat, drink, and be merry. Religious folks might say the goal is to serve God. Some seek a spouse who will make them happy, while others do everything they can just to escape pain and suffering. For everyone, the goal of life is different. What is yours?
I once read about a football player who said one of the worst moments of his life was the day after he finally achieved his life’s goal and won the Super Bowl. He felt an overwhelming sense of emptiness and despair. Many of us experience this. We have a goal that we think will make us happy, but when we finally reach it, we realize its promises were deceitful. Unless we immediately set a new goal, we sink into despondency. This is why people say, "It’s about the journey, not the destination"—because the destination usually disappoints.
You see a beautiful woman or a handsome man and think, "If I can only be with them, I will be the happiest person in the world." You work hard, you pursue them, and you feel a thrill when they text you back. The journey of "capturing" their heart is exciting. But once they are yours, many find themselves asking, "Is this it? Is this why I spent all that energy?" You realize they are a human being just like any other, with their own flaws.
A life of conquest always disappoints because life was never meant to be about conquest. The moment we "conquer" what we thought would bring us joy is the moment we find it to be empty.
The goal of life is not to do this or that, but to love. To understand the purpose of a thing, we must look at the Creator and understand His motivation. The Bible says God is love. God is self-sufficient; He has no needs and is complete in Himself. Why, then, did He create us?
God created us to share His love with us. He created us not out of necessity, but out of an overflow of love. Everything God creates—angels, humans, animals, flowers, and flowing rivers—is an expression of that infinite love.
God’s "goal" is to share His love with created beings. He is always at work to uplift humanity, to bring blessings and beauty into our lives, and to make our tomorrow more beautiful than our yesterday—if we will but allow Him.
Once we understand God’s goal, it becomes easy to see why we are so depressed and dissatisfied. It is because we have set goals contrary to our Creator's design. Nothing but a life of love will bring true satisfaction.
A life of conquest is a restless life. You are always searching for the next thing to conquer while fearing being conquered yourself. It is a life of fear, short-term thrills, and eventual despair.
A life of love is a life of peace, beauty, and joy. It is long-term and brings deep satisfaction in seeing others feel appreciated and alive.
If you want to be truly fulfilled, seek to love. Do not wait for others to love you; seek to love them first.
Love requires time and effort. Seek to love by listening, by seeking to understand others, and by accepting them for who they are. The more you love others, the more you will see their hidden beauty beneath layers of brokenness and hardness.
But before we can love others, we must love God first. Only by spending time with Him and understanding His will do we gain the strength to be patient and selfless. As you start loving others, your whole being will be transformed. Life will finally make sense.
The goal of life is not the pursuit of material things or fleeting pleasures. The goal of life is to be like God—and God is love.
Let us seek to love God supremely and to cherish our neighbors. Watch as your life is transformed from despair to hope, from brokenness to wholeness, from a "conqueror" to a lover, and from a selfish individual to a lovable Christian.
Let our prayer be: "Lord, help me to love You supremely and to love my neighbor as myself." Amen.
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