what is the purpose of our lives?

some of us may live out our entire earthly existence without ever knowing. all we may ever know is the purpose of the events in our lives, not necessarily the purpose of the culmination of those events. or maybe the purpose lies in-between the events. the purpose for my life may come while i'm standing in my yard waiting for my dog to do her business. and i may never even know it.

it sounds farfetched i know. but i really believe that in some cases the purpose of a life may never be made apparent. even those who believe they know their purpose may have it wrong. some missionary in taiwan who thinks his purpose in life is to convert a small village to christianity may fulfill his purpose on the plane ride to or from the country. he could even fulfill his purpose in his sleep and be none the wiser.

a woman could be breastfeeding her infant on a bench waiting for a bus. a man walking by on a crowded sidewalk notices from the corner of his eye and stops, only for a second, to watch the bond between mother and child. he walks on, the image imprinted on his mind. he thinks. recalculates. finds a quiet place. a small undiscovered deli down a sideroad perhaps. runs the image over and over, turning it and breaking it down. as he leaves the deli, he reaches in his coat pocket and throws the pistol he had intended to kill his wife and son with into the garbage. goes home, packs his bags, and leaves forever. his son grows up to discover the cure for a deadly epidemic, saving the lives of millions of people.

that woman's purpose in life had been fulfilled through the simple act of feeding her child.

all i'm saying is, no one ever knows. a sentence, a glance, a walk in the park may be the key to your existence.

everything is connected. everyone is connected. and it's all leading up to some gigantic finale. a finished puzzle lying perfect and beautiful on God's coffee table.

so all we can do is live our lives the best that we can. worrying about purpose is natural. but worrying about the inevitable is pointless. your purpose is inevitable. think about it. i may be insane and completely ridiculous. on the other hand, after you finish reading this and calling me ridiculous, you could walk into the other room and change the world without the first clue, orange juice in hand.

or maybe i just think entirely too much. you decide.

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