Beyond Common Sense

What is the meaning of life? Do you ask that question or am I the only person who goes down that road? I realize that I am a deep thinker. I often wonder about my dad, remembering him as he sat in the rocker in the kitchen looking out the window for what seemed like a long time to a child. What was he thinking?

Do you have mornings when you wake up a little foggy, not sure what life is all about? I don’t think it matters if your schedule is harried or slow, whether you face a day full of fulfilling others’ needs or you sit along, as I do now. That question pops up at different times for no apparent reason. Where do we find the answer? Is there just one answer?

My go-to is the Bible, and today my read was very random, almost akin to closing my eyes and reading wherever the Book fell open to, and I found this note under Colossians 3:12, by Paul Tripp:

“Every believer is called to be an ambassador of the Savior King. Now, you know that the only thing an ambassador does is represent the king who sent him. This means that Jesus makes his invisible presence visible through his people, who represent him in one another’s lives. You are the look on Christ’s face. You are the tones of his voice. You are the touch of his hands. You are the physical representative of his grace. This is your mission in every relationship of your life—to make the grace of the invisible King visible…Now, none of us is up to this task, so the Redeemer who sent us also comes with us so that we will have the grace we need to represent him well.”

Well said. He is writing about Colossians 3:12-14. Notice all the characteristics or qualities that aid in our “ambassadorships” listed:

 12 Therefore, as [the] elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; 13 bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. 14 But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection.

January 27, 2025 and February 6, 2026. These are not just random dates to me. Two acquaintances of mine died on those dates. One was a pastor whose life touched many lives in our area, so much so that the local news station did a story on his life! The other was a dear friend in our little church. She touched lives as well, a much smaller circle in a very different way. Both passed rather unexpectedly and much sooner than what we would seem to be normal. Both have met their Savior face to face and are enjoying the splendors of heaven. They both know firsthand the meaning of life.

Do we need to wait until we get to heaven to understand what the meaning of life is? I think not. Simply put, it is living this day, no matter if it is a gloriously expectant day full of memory-making moments or one lived in the trenches of ordinary life, with the smile, the tone, and the touch of Jesus upon us—showing Jesus whether to one or a million who need to see Him.