Happenstance or Divine Plan?

"He has the whole world, in His hands,

He has the whole wide world, in His hands"

If you have not had the chance to read the book by Pastor Rick Warren, The Purpose Driven Life, I would like to suggest to you it is a very good and worth while read. It is written for all people, from the deeply spiritual to the non-believer. The tag line of the book is "What is the world are we doing here?" Good question, Pastor Warren, a very good question indeed.

Yet, there are many who feel life is nothing more than a bunch of days strung together. Get up, go to work, come home, go to bed. The next day, start the routine all over again. Some even assume that our existence on this planet in nothing more than an accident - some DNA mutation which allowed us to crawl out of the mud and evolve into humans. We exist just knowing that someday a wayward asteroid, a super germ, or a global war could kill us all and turn our precious Earth into a empty orb floating in the black void of space.

Depressing right? Our being here only because of happenstance? Or are we here for another reason? Even the most secular of scientists admit confusion and ignorance when it comes to the "big bang" theory. They understand  the physics on how it happened, but not why it happened. An evangelist named Louie Giglio said God made the heavens for our enjoyment. My wife and I heard him speak a few years ago on this subject. During his sermon,he showed some awe inspiring pictures of deep space taken from the Hubble telescope. In Louie's words, he believes God is saying to us "Do you want to see more? Build a bigger telescope!". God wants us to enjoy His creation - He did it not only for Himself, but also for us to use, explore and enjoy.

People that I have known that really seem to "get it", are ones who understand life is so much bigger than anyone of us. They are people who drink in and enjoy the experience of life each and every day. They do so by understanding their purpose - even though that purpose may evolve or change over time. The happiest people I know are not the ones with the most toys, rather they are the ones with a servant's heart who have a passion for helping people.

Back to Pastor Warren's book. The lessons contained within this book can be summed up into the following five areas:

•   We were planned for God's pleasure - so your first purpose is to offer real worship.
•   We were formed for God's family - so your second purpose is to enjoy real fellowship.
•   We were created to become like Christ - so your third purpose is to  learn discipleship.
•   We were shaped for serving God - so your fourth purpose is to practice real ministry.
•   We were made for a mission - so your fifth purpose is to live out real evangelism.

Looking at life through the prism that Rick Warren shows us can take a life touched by selfishness and replace it with one touched by selflessness. It can bring peace and joy to even the most troubled of souls. Our time is here is not happenstance. Our time here is filled with constant and evolving purpose. Once life ceases to have purpose, life becomes nothing more than existence. And I don't believe that is what God intended for any of us - not even one.