How To Live A Life That Matters?

For those who know me now, this statement may shock you. I was a nerd growing up.

I was not one of the cool kids.

I didn’t fit in with the jocks.

Life is hard when you don’t fit in, when your individuality stands out, it means you attract criticism and people tend to make fun of you.  It was hard for me to hear the news that my musical icon died, Prince Rodgers Nelson. His purple highness made it cool to be different.  His music and lack of concern for what others thought about him inspired me.  He gave me the courage to chart my path, and search for and live a life of significance.  It is a basic need we all have.  How do I find meaning in my life?  When this life is over and someone who barely knew the real you is trying to summarize your life in 12 minutes those left to mourn you will ask the question, did his or her life make a difference?  Today, to honor a musical legend, Prince, I give you three simple things to consider that will give your life meaning.

People need transcendence.

If the summation of our lives is comprised only of the things we have accumulated, achieved, or accomplished, we are to be pitied above all creatures.  Once we are gone, those things are either divided among those who cared about us or given away to charity.  At some point in our lives, hopefully, before it is too late, we realize a need to know Jesus Christ in an intimate way.  Here is how the Apostle Paul describes that “I consider everything a loss in comparison with the superior value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. I have lost everything for him, but what I lost I think of as sewer trash, so that I might gain Christ and be found in him. In Christ, I have a righteousness that is not my own, and that does not come from the Law but rather from the faithfulness of Christ. It is the righteousness of God that is based on faith.” Philippians 3

People are seeking significance.

Years ago “The Purpose-Driven Life” the best-selling hardcover book in the world (besides the Bible) with over 32,000,000 copies sold appealed to the fact that everyone wants a purpose in life.  One reviewer, Tim Callies, made this analysis of the book: “The Purpose Driven Life is premised on the teaching that only Christians can live with purpose. It follows, then, that unbelievers have no real meaning to their lives.”

For an excellent and more in-depth review, find the link here:

Book Review – Rick Warren’s The Purpose Driven Life

We all have a need for purpose – a reason to get out of bed in the morning. People desire more than just being a cog in the machine, a brick in the wall, or more than a number. The question people often ask “What are you going to be when you grow up?”  Then add, “ …and I hope you grow up soon.” From the wisdom of Solomon, Proverbs 16:4 says “The Lord has made everything for its own purpose, even the wicked for the day of evil.” You are created for a purpose; your life was significance.

People need community.

We are never meant to live life alone.  In the garden of Eden, God created a helpmate for Adam. We need to connect with other people through meaningful relationships. “Christ distributes courage through the community; he dissipates doubts through fellowship. He never deposits all knowledge in one person but distributes pieces of the jigsaw puzzle to many. When you interlock your understanding with mine, and we share our discoveries, when we mix, mingle, confess and pray, Christ speaks.” Max Lucado.

These three factors will help us live a life that matters and leave a lasting legacy that gives glory to God the one who created that life that matters.