The Search for Meaning

"What's the point if you're not having fun, right?"

I pause to take it all in before I respond. The trees, the beauty all around us, the eyes looking back at me, the sheer absurdity that this person would be sitting here with me under this tree, sharing his philosophy of life with me.

"Well, I think there are several points, actually," I tell him, still rather surprised that this is really what he believes.

"Well, I haven't found any."

In that moment, I realize that he hasn't been looking. It hasn't occurred to him to search for meaning beyond momentary pleasure.

The search for meaning, for purpose, for "the point" in any given situation or season of life, is a primary drive of my day to day existence. I've been asking "Why?" to just about everything, ever since I was a small girl. Whether in work, play, or rest, I always find the deepest joy when I am tapped into the profound meaning behind it all.

So today, I sip my coffee and pound out these thoughts, propped up against one of several bookshelves that give witness to my never-ending search for meaning. I share the occasional laugh or intermittent thought with my husband as he enjoys a basketball game.

Blue sky, green trees, and deep thoughts pull my mind back to our time in the woods last weekend.

"God can do whatever He wants." These words from a friend, spoken in the midst of woods and children playing and a leisurely meal with our families...these words give me a box big enough to put all my questions in. A place where my lack of answers can rest. Where my unknowing can be known. Where there is a wisdom bigger than knowledge. A love that is not weak. A power that does not dissipate. A God that is strong.

A place where no matter what happens, there is always purpose.

Always meaning.

And sometimes fun. :)


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