< Back to Tough Questions about your Spiritual Journey

Who am I? Why am I here? What am I supposed to be doing while I’m here? These are important questions each one of us asks ourselves perhaps even many times during our lifetime. We ask questions such as these as we gaze at the immense heavens above us on a warm summer night, or feel the painful core of our existence during particular life-struggles, or witness the birth of a child, or the passing away of one whom we love. What is this life all about?

Why are We Here?

Why are we here? It’s a good question. I’ve heard a lot of theories on the subject. Some say we are here simply by accident. They say our consciousness, our existence, our lives are the product of a chance occurrence in the universe. We are said to be products of the big bang at the beginning of creation, which leaves us as perhaps the “stuff that stars are made of” but really, so what? What’s the purpose? Do you feel you are here, consciously breathing, gazing at this bright world, sensing all there is to sense around you, simply by accident? I can’t buy that. You may remember Descarte’s famous line, “I think; therefore I am.” I like to take it a step further for myself: “And if I am, therefore I am for a reason.” The wonder of creation alone is enough to tell me this is so. But it’s not just the wonder of creation that leads me to believe there’s more to this existence than sheer coincidence. I can close my eyes and feel it in my heart, in my spirit. The reality of love, emotion, pain and bliss, the wonder of the unknown, the very fact that I can sense the sacred, whisper to me in no uncertain terms that life is important, that I am important, so important that everything has meaning deeper than I can fathom.

Some religious authorities say that we were created for the greater glory of God. We are here to honor God through obedience and service to him. This sounds interesting on the surface, but it begs the question, does God need our affirmation to boost his self esteem? Granted every religion says we should serve God, but is this because God desires people to make him look good or feel better about himself? I think not. We can serve God, and we can glorify God by our life in this world, but this is not the ultimate end of creation. The reason we are here is much more satisfying and personally meaningful than that. We were created for no other reason than to be recipients of God’s love.

Love desires someone to love, and to have that love returned in kind. God, being Love itself, created you and me as partners in a loving relationship. We were created to freely receive God’s love, to open our minds and hearts to all the blessings that love brings, and to open our lives so that love flows into us and through us to others. When we do this we are filled with happiness that grows and grows as we grow. We were created as objects and receiving vessels of God’s love.

Isn’t that wonderful to know? You were created by Love Itself. When God created you and breathed into your spirit the breath of life, God rejoiced. God still rejoices today, every moment of the day, and every moment of a moment. How does that feel? It feels pretty good. Why am I here? Because I’m special, someone important, worth loving. I’m here because God wanted me to be here. He created me so that I could live and soak in all the joy and beauty around me, so that I can bask in the warmth of that love, take it into the depths of my heart, and bring it out in all its glory to share with others! What an adventure! What a pleasure!

By Rev. Grant Schnarr, You Can Believe