The Pursuit of Meaning

Introduction

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him was not any thing made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
—John 1:1–5 (ESV)

I was on my bed, looking straight at the ceiling, and I thought, What is life? Who is God? I was about twenty-two years old, and I was starting to become very inquisitive about the matters of life and God. I wanted to understand what life meant and why I was part of it. I also wanted to understand God, know Him, and ask Him all the questions that surfaced in my head every time I wanted to make sense of things. Two things in particular captured my attention: the meaning of life from God’s perspective and how to find meaning during life on earth.
When I was much younger, I had been interested in knowing why I was here and how I should live my life in the most real way possible. This came about as I was starting to notice the differences in people and the differences in their priorities in life and what was meaningful to them. As an introvert, I loved observing every single thing that happened around me, analyzing them, and making sense of them. I would observe my parents, my siblings, my friends and their relatives, people on television, people on the streets, and people at school and church, and I would study who they were and what they did. I realized that people followed certain patterns in their lives, and they tended to find meaning differently in life. They followed the same pattern of being born, going to school, church, and work, getting married or being in romantic relationships, forming communities, and having kids. In the end, everything about that beautiful journey will end with death. I was fascinated by these patterns, and I asked myself whether it was intentionally set to be this way or if there were any other ways of living. Why were people so different? Why did some believe and trust God while others didn’t? Why did death have to be in the picture?
As for finding meaning, I realized that some people were happy, and others were not. Some people lived intentionally, and others followed the flow of life. Some people relied on God for everything, and others relied on work, family, friends, or wealth. Some people lived carefree lives, and others cared about their images, reputations, and the opinions of people around them. I knew, then that it was the norm: I am here to follow the same patterns of life, and I should find meaning in at least something. I felt anxious right away. Where do I start? Do I get a manual about how to live my life in the best way? Who am I? Why am I part of this?
If there is meaning to being here, then I was determined to find that out. It wasn’t until a few years later that I actually started to understand the journey of life as I became observant of my own life and of those around me. God took me on a long, fruitful journey, and along the way, He taught me what He wanted me to know about who we are and why we are here.
Throughout the experiences in my own journey—and the constant observation of how life was happening around me—I was writing down everything that God was teaching me. However, I cannot take us on that journey of finding meaning if I don’t start with my own journey with God. He was the door and the key to understanding life, and He was the light for finding meaning throughout the journey.
I was born into a Christian family, and God was at the center of everything in our household. I grew up with all the Christian beliefs and values, and we never questioned anything. It was not that we weren’t permitted to question anything, but no one bothered to explain why we believed and valued certain things.
During my journey, I often found myself asking questions I didn’t have the answers to, and I was unsatisfied with the few answers I got. I really wanted to know if God was real. In my culture, we tell stories, which we call African traditions, but most of them were just legends and myths. No one actually knew about their authenticity or accuracy. God was taught to me by my parents and my church, but I always wondered if He was also one of the myths or one of those things that no one had an answer for. I wanted an answer.
I wanted to know that God was not part of the myths and legends. I wanted to know that He was real. I decided to really get to know Him personally. I would talk to Him from my bed, hoping that He would answer me and tell me that He was real.
Reading the Bible and other books based on characters of the Bible, I realized that God made promises to people and formed alliances with them. I was fascinated by and admired the personal relationships between God and His servants. I thought, Maybe I can form a relationship with Him, and then He will come to me in a real way, which is what the Bible teaches about Him.
I got down on my knees, put my hands together in a praying position, bowed my head as a sign of respect and humility, and said, “God, I learned that You make promises that You keep and form alliances with men. I learned that You talk to them and teach them about the ways of life and the meaning of it. Today, I want You to have one with me and teach me about the life You created. I promise to serve and love You for my entire life on earth, live by Your commandments, and not break this alliance by the grace and faith I have received in Jesus Christ, my Lord. This is my promise to you. What is Yours? I have read about You, and now I want to know and hear You. That’s all. Amen.”
Oh, you are waiting to hear what He said back to me? Actually, I never heard a reply. Instead, I had trust in my heart that He listened to me and was going to talk to me about life. I was excited about it. That’s how my journey of love with God began, and little did I know, with every experience and every person He placed on my path, He was actually talking to me about life.
I came to understand that there were two parts to life for those of us who choose the way of God. There is one journey, but there are two paths: earth and heaven. There is one journey, but there are two births and two deaths: biological birth and death, birth in Jesus, and death to sin. There is one journey, and there are two important things: identity and purpose. One journey leads to one destiny, which fulfills the two parts: earth and heaven. There is one journey and one story. There is one journey and one God. There is one journey and one Savior. There is one journey and one meaning.