The Meaning We're All Looking For
The Thirst We Can't Explain
The Success That Still Feels Empty
Three years ago, Harvard conducted a research (Beyond Work, Scroll, and Repeat: Cultivating Meaning and Purpose in Gen Z — Making Caring Common into what young people lacked in their lives- and they found results that would be worth delving into.
For many of the youth today, our ranks are probably high in areas of our achievements- considering the vigour and effort that we put into things we love. But even with these Harvard graduates- with accolades and certificates adorning their room, they still responded with a lack of meaning in their lives. And this was a door to the countless mental health issues that still echo in many lives of people our age.
“I have no purpose or meaning in life. I just go to work, do my mundane job, go home, prepare for the next day, scroll on my phone, and repeat.”
Work. Scroll. Repeat. It’s not a recipe for a meaningful or gratifying life.
If these “successful people” still lacked meaning in their lives, what were they missing? And if so, what are we missing in our lives?
A Thirst We Can't Explain
Are you hungry and thirsty for something that you think you haven’t found yet?
There was a woman who felt the same way.
She had faced criticism for many things. Maybe for the place she was brought up in. Maybe for the things she had gotten herself into. Maybe for the shame she still had to carry. And that shame brought her to a place she never knew would lead her to healing.
In an attempt to run from people and all they would have to say, she sought to go fill her jars with water from a well far away. And she thought she had chosen the best time to do that. In the scorch heat of the day, where no one could possibly even step their foot out of their houses.
“Yes, this is the best place to be. Alone. Some peace and quiet. Just what I need”
And so, she walked, weary and tired. Probably filled with many thoughts as she travelled. Of how nothing she put herself into could bring her the satisfaction she longed to have. How even religion and society seemed to put her down. Wondering how, after all that she had done- someone could ever love her- because at this point, she couldn’t find how she could even love herself.
Little did she know, this escape she sought was a door to finding that water she so longed for. For when she thought no one would find her in this secluded place, there was One who decided that this would be the best place to meet her.
He met her at a place she never thought He’d be. He stooped to her level, revealed those parts she had thought she’d hidden, and offered her a better way out. She had come to fill her jars with normal water but left that place with her heart filled with Living Water. Water that would never make her thirst again. Water that would never dry. Water that, if received, would produce springs of water that would impact whole communities.
Looking in the Wrong Places
People today, try to do this in different ways. They devote themselves to acts of service, volunteering and campaigning for a good cause, travelling to meet people and hoping to find themselves in the process, investing in their families and building solid relationships. These are good things but are actually outcomes of a deeper solution that has to be identified first.
We all long to be loved. Whatever stage we are in life, whatever problem we face loops back into the fundamental question: Am I loved? And in most cases, the answers we find to this question are easily wavering. When push comes to shove, our career, our family, our passion, our talents- are all sinking sand on which we hope to built our houses on.
What do you lean on when these pillars crumble?
The answer to this question can only be sought through a firm, unchanging factor. What is that for you?
If you find yourself like this woman who was exhausted of finding meaning through many doors, I encourage you to try this door out.
Living Water
In simple words, it is God. What other door could provide you with a solid foundation than the Creator, Sustainer and Ruler of this entire universe. He knows all that you’re going through and even knows the solutions to them. He’s just asking for your “yes”, so that He can enter your life and change it for the better. It’s evident that if God created us (and we’re living human beings with emotions and an intrinsic sense of right and wrong , and not merely biological beings whose existence is ultimately accidental), He would know the best way to find meaning. I believe He created us with a space that could only be filled by Him. Maybe that’s why no matter how much we look; we don’t seem to fill that space.
We’re all yearning for this living water, but we’ve been looking at all the wrong places. Once we accept that we’re seeking something and we tap into this source, we are going to be flooded with an overflow that stretches for eternity.
It might be unsettling to put your hope into Someone you can’t see. But He’s real. And He’s impacted many lives in the past and continues to do so even today. But He won’t step in without your permission. He values your choice. If you take one step, He’ll cover the rest and meet you right there.
An Overflowing Life
Once you’ve tapped into this Living Water, you are going to see streams flowing into different arenas of your life. The way you approach relationships and love the people around you won’t turn to be exhausting because you won’t be filling from an empty cup. The service you do will be a joy and an opportunity that allows you to share the joy that already resides in your heart. You won’t be living life to gain happiness but rather to give it back and spread more of that life-giving water that has changed you.
You find meaning when you look to the One who knows exactly what you need.
If you’re looking for meaning in your life too, know that you’re not alone. Our generation is so curious and they’re asking so many questions. And that’s not a bad thing. Maybe that’s why you stumbled upon this today. Maybe this is the day you find the key to a life you’ve been yearning to have.
The Invitation
If you’re reading this but am not sure how to exactly go about, let me tell you that it’s not that hard.
First, look into yourself. Are there things that you’re not proud of? Are you struggling with addictions and temptations no one knows about?
Accept it. And say it out loud. Cause you can’t move past what you haven’t voiced out.
I’m sure you’ve found something, cause no one’s perfect. In fact, we were born imperfect beings, prone to stumble and fall. But God didn’t want that mistake to dictate the rest of our lives. That’s why He chose to bridge the gap, by taking the punishment of our wrongdoings upon Himself. He did that about 2,000 years ago, when He died for us. So that anyone, even today, who finds themselves in a loop of guilt and shame can break free and walk out for good, into a new better life. He did that for you. It’s His gift.
And He probably wants to meet you today. At your level. He understands the struggles and thoughts you have. And He wants a better way out for you.
You get to experience the fullness of this gift. Only if you receive it.
If you want to accept that, say this with me:
Heavenly Father, forgive me. I’m turning from my sin and I’m turning towards You. I believe that you died so I could live with hope today and forevermore. I need your grace, I need your mercy, I need your love. Transform my life with that living water only You can give.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.
Saying this won’t turn your life like how fairy godmother turned Cinderella’s pumpkins into a royal carriage. But it’ll give you a peace that you won’t be able to comprehend. A peace that will satisfy that aching in your heart. A peace that will be the key to a life of true meaning.
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