The meaning of life is to find your gift, the purpose of life is to give it away.
Pable Picasso
I’ve been hearing a lot about purpose lately in interviews on television or documentaries and in conversations with other people. These are just a few actual quotes that I remember off the top of my head, “Our divorce was difficult and I hope he is happy, but I really think his main problem is that he needs to find his purpose.” “I just want to know, what is my purpose.?” ” I was having a lot of trouble, but the best advice I got was, “Do everything with purpose.” There are many more, but you get the picture.
Do you have a real good idea of what your purpose is? Do you believe you were created for a purpose? Do you find meaning in what you are spending your time on? Why is this so important?
The one thing that we can all agree on is that life is hard. Everything is hard. Work, marriage, providing for ourselves and our families, raising children, getting an education, starting a business, preparing to retire, maintaing your health, getting enough exercise, eating right. Choosing to do what is right is hard. Standing up for truth in a world dominated by relativism and post modernism is hard.
There is nothing easy in this world. I take that back. There are some things that are easy.
Sin is easy. Criticizing others is easy. Complaining about our situation is easy. (I am trying to stop the whining and complaining about my own situation. Guess what? It ain’t easy) Being selfish is easy.
If we focus on the things we value, like our families, and trying to survive in a crazy, broken fallen world, it is pretty hard to just get by. Whatever we choose to do or choose to pursue, there will be pain and there will be suffering. But if we stop to think about it, if suffering and pain are inevitable, is it possible to endure with wisdom and intelligence? Can we avoid pain and suffering that is ignorant and meaningless? You can bet your life on it.
Why Study Near Death Experiences?: Because Everyone is Betting On Something
When we live our lives without purpose or meaning, we suffer stupidly. There is nothing worse than suffering or enduring pain that we created and that has no intrinsic or inherent value. Many of us are enduring pain and suffering that is self created. I just spoke to a friend who has a family member on their death bed from alcoholic liver failure. This person hid their daily drinking for years and probably has a couple of weeks left to live.
Author and psychologist Jordan Peterson sheds some light on this idea,
“If you have no meaning you are anxious and overwhelmed, we know this from a neuropsychological viewpoint, because purpose gives you a game to play and rules to follow. Purpose gives you something to aim at and positive emotion. Without purpose you are left with inalienable suffering . . . All the meaning in your life is going to come about because of the idea of accepting responsibility. You need the sustaining meaning because otherwise you suffer stupidly and you get bitter, you get resentful and you get cruel and then you get homicidal and then genocidal. That is the whole pathway.”[1]
Notice the idea of accepting responsibility. It’s the “it’s on me” attitude. That is the attitude that we incorporate into our very being in order to come up with an effective plan to find purpose and meaning and to develop confidence and competence. Why? Because it’s the opposite of avoidance. It’s acceptance. Its curiosity. It’s running or moving toward the the thing we are avoiding. It’s on you, and it’s on me.
[1] www.youtube.com/watch/v=1opHWsHr798&t=6389s
The one thing about accepting responsibility, is that it is the opposite of victimhood. Accepting responsibility is the first step in identifying meaning and purpose.
So how and where do Near Death Experiences come into play ? Good question.
Accepting Our Assignments
When I start a book project or start researching a topic, inevitably, there are going to be lessons that I learn that I never knew or understood. I try to include these ideas to help others because some of these principles have helped me to become a better husband, father, co-worker or boss. They have also helped me with pursuing my purpose.
The one idea or consistent description of NDEs that had an impact on me was the impression or the question that is asked when an NDEr is standing in front of a “being of light” or God or Jesus.
There is an amazing amount of agreement as to what NDErs are asked. If you spend time studying NDEs, this is a powerful and consistent recurring theme. Essentially we will be asked about how we used our gifts and talents in serving others and in making a contribution to the betterment of the world. We each have an assignment, or a mission per se. Our job is to figure out what our particular gifts are, and how we can use them to better the world.
The kicker is that fulfilling our purpose leads to our greatest joy and the worlds greatest joy. It is doing exactly what we were created to do.
In this excerpt, one NDEr is describing how she was told that we all have assignments given to us at birth. This ties into our purpose for living,
One thing I (learned) was that we are ALL here to do an “assignment of love.” We don’t have to do it at all, or we can do as many as we like. It’s up to us. Our “assignment” is programmed in at birth, and it is the very thing or things we love most.
Several things to point out here. Notice that no one is exempt. We are ALL here to do “an assignment of love.” Notice also that free will is involved. We are free to choose to accept or reject our assignment. It’s up to us.
Also our “assignment” is programmed in at birth and it is the very thing we love most. This is an important clue. But I have to stop for a second to bring in the Word. We already know that God created us for good works. The NDE just reinforces that concept. As I have argued before, the NDE functions as a source of spiritual guidance, but it acts as support or an adjunct to what the bible teaches. The bible is primary when it comes to Truth and authority in our lives.
For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
( Ephesians 2:10 NLT)
We have a choice in this matter. We have freewill and we can choose to believe in and commit to Jesus. We can spend time with Him and accept his sacrifice on the cross becoming a brother or sister in Christ. We become heirs in the family of believers.
If we take the idea that we are to love God/Jesus as the most important thing we can do with our time, that love is an act of the will. Love is a choice. We can choose to love and obey Jesus and accept responsibility for our “assignments” or we are free to reject the purpose for which we have been created. It doesn’t get more complicated than that.
What we may not realize is that when we accept our purpose, it creates meaning in our lives. It also increases love, joy, power and confidence within us. Why? Because we know we aren’t wasting our time or our lives. It also allows for greater endurance and resilience when we encounter the inevitable pain and suffering that come about living in a fallen, broken world. Purpose protects us from wandering off into activities and pursuits with little value. Purpose also provides power and energy.
This particular person who told us about our assignments goes on about her NDE:
I was such a bozo. I always thought doing what you loved most was selfish. I can remember how amazed and happy I was when this information “came into my mind.” This other source of energy, using my voice said, “That is the most unselfish and constructive thing you can do for the world because that is your assigned energy and you will be happiest doing it, you will be the best at it, and most respected for it!
([1] Kenneth Ring and Evelyn Elsaesser Valarino, Lessons from the Light (Needham, MA: Moment Point, 2006), 47.) ( Lessons from the Light by Kenneth Ring is an excellent book on Near Death Experiences)
One important and critical point to realize when it comes to purpose or our “assignment of love and energy” is that these are “ONLY I” activities. They are also “can’t not” activities.
Your purpose was designed to be fulfilled by you alone in the power of your authentic self using the gifts,talents and blessings so gracefully bestowed on you by God. ONLY YOU can fulfill YOUR PURPOSE.
WORKS? FAITH? SALVATION?
One thing that really caught my attention recently was an equation that I saw in a lecture by a Christian apologist. It was an eye opener because it really puts our faith and our salvation in context.
Salvation + Faith = Works
Faith + Works = Salvation
There is a lot of controvery among the different Christian denominations about what role each of these plays in salvation and I just get confused when I listen to debates about how these are related and the role they play. We can disagree on how faith and works are necessary for salvation or whether you can be saved by faith alone, but I realized something just by looking at both of these equations.
If you look at both of these equations if you take works or deeds out of each of them, they don’t make sense. Works are a part of both.
Deeds. Bearing fruit. Hand to the plow. Taking action. Whatever you believe, works or deeds play a role. Love is invisible until we see action. Loving God is our most important assignment.
Then He said to another man, “Follow Me.” The man replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”But Jesus told him, “Let the dead bury their own dead. You, however, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” Still another said, “I will follow You, Lord; but first let me bid farewell to my family.”Then Jesus declared, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and then looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”
( Luke 9:59-62 NLT)
“We are healed to help others. We are blessed to be a blessing. We are saved to serve, not to sit around and wait for heaven.”
Rick Warren
To sum up what Jesus is telling us and what Rick Warren is saying and what these equations are telling us is that we are saved by faith for something. For what? For good works. We have assignments. NDEs tell us the same thing. God has a plan. It is a privilege and an honor to tell others about Jesus and how he offers a deal that no one can match.
When we accept Jesus as our personal savior,
- Our sins are forgiven (huge)
- We have a purpose for living
- We have a home waiting for us in heaven
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe in Me as well. In My Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and welcome you into My presence, so that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.”
“Lord,” said Thomas, “we do not know where You are going, so how can we know the way?”
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. If you had known Me, you would know My Father as well. From now on you do know Him and have seen Him.”
( John 14:1-7 NLT)
Based on the Barna research data, in the blog post below, we know that the majority of believers ignore the second part of the deal that Jesus offers, Our Purpose.
This is bearing fruit. Taking action. Hand to the plow. We want forgiveness and we want heaven, but we ignore purpose and the pain and suffering that comes with it. Why?
Because we don’t realize that purpose itself is a gift. It is a gift of power and protection. It also is an honor and a huge privilege to serve Jesus and tell others about him because it fulfills one of our most important jobs as believers in this world.
“Everyone who acknowledges me publicly here on earth, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven.
(Matthew 10:32 NLT)
Have you ever noticed actors or celebrities in awards ceremonies or players on a football field pointing up to the sky. In interviews or when accepting an award, some will say, “first of all, I want to thank my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ”. That is what they are doing. They are publicly, boldly and without fear, acknowledging that they belong to Jesus. They don’t want to have to explain why they didn’t do so when they had such a huge audience.
Many times they get ridiculed or criticized because they are acknowleding their faith before others.
Purpose and Wisdom
From my own experience when it comes to making choices and choosing to do what I think is right, I usually end up making a costly mistake. The most common question I ask myself is “what the heck where you thinking?” It is usually followed by “are you an idiot or what?”
We as humans in general are not very smart. We have plenty of evidence for this just by looking at our own bad decisions and by looking at how much destruction, death and misery we have created for ourselves in the 20th century. There were over 100 million people murdered by communist regimes and world wars during that century.
We are slowly destroying our planet and now we are afraid of speaking truth or quoting the Word because we don’t want to be cancelled or we don’t want to offend anyone.
In my humble opinion we have access to wisdom and we can become wise when we think the way God thinks. When we align our will with His and conform our thoughts and behavior to that of Jesus, we become wise.
There aren’t any other paths to true wisdom and knowledge.
We can accept our assignment and pursue our purpose, or we can ignore and reject it. This is a choice and it is an act of the will.
We are also free to reject everything that Jesus is offering and pursue our own vision, plan and the purpose that we created for our own lives. Many people choose this path.
If the path you are on following a purpose you created for yourself is becomming too difficult to pursue or if you are confused or anxious about the road you are on, I highly recommend that you discover and pursue your Authentic, God-given purpose. Spend time with Jesus in the Word and seek Wisdom. Find your Authentic Self.
My previous 3 books deal with the road to discovery of our Authentic Selves and address passion, fear and I am finishing the fourth book on pain and suffering. I feel the need to define our “Authentic Self”,
Your “Authentic Self” is the person or self that God had in mind when he created you. It is becomming who you were meant to be, doing the assignments and tasks you were meant to do, using the skills, talents and energy you were designed to use, with the love you were meant to share.
Discovering and uncovering your “Authentic Self” won’t make your life any easier, but it will allow for greater joy, energy, confidence and competence. It will give you the greatest sense of satisfaction and fulfillment because you know that you aren’t wasting your time or your life.
The books below can help you on this quest. Find your Authentic Self,
You won’t regret it.
Your Brother in Christ
Johnny Cavazos MD
If you are dealing with symptoms of Long Covid, here are a couple of blog posts. I hope to have one coming out soon that has some ideas about helpful treatment. I’ve been dealing with it for 2 years.