What It Means To Be Alive: Discovering A Purpose

Our beating hearts, curious minds, and yearning souls are fired by a hunger for purpose.

Much more than spectators, we are each here as active participants in a dramatic adventure. In fact, we are gifted players possessing talents and skills so unique unto ourselves that they can never be duplicated. Never. Not in all that came before, all that is, and all that may come in the future. Like the insuppressible Tigger, You’re the only one.

The problem is that we have a limited view of an unlimited horizon. Hemmed in by duties, responsibilities, busy schedules, hardships, and trials, we suffer with a lack of clear internal and external perspective. It is a poverty of spirit.

Victor Frankl, in his groundbreaking book "Man’s Search For Meaning" asserted that even in the most horrible circumstances, people must find a reason to be alive. The Nazi concentration camps where he was imprisoned provided the fodder for his claim. For it was there, where death was thick in the air, that those who survived found a will to go on and purpose in places of hopelessness.

I could see it in many of my patients eyes who lost everything due to the ravages of addiction and trauma. Decimated careers and alienated families took a heavy toll which destroyed some but became touchstones for others. Those who realized that accomplishments and success could once again be achieved were the ones who discovered that love and hope are eternally present and available. Tim Shriver of Special Olympics has a formula for this when he says;

“See! Look! Pay attention to what is right in front of you! That is all you need to know!”

If what happened yesterday is to define who we are today or what direction tomorrow might take, then we can hardly find a true meaning for our lives. That foundation is built on sandy soil which can be washed away or carried off by the wind.

Being alive is about occupying this moment while mustering up all of the love you have to give and then letting it flow. Your life has never been small or insignificant. It will expand to proportions beyond any imagined boundaries. And the imprint of your steps will be visible for all of eternity in the lives you have blessed.

Just remember who you are.

Awakening to Snowfall; Remember Who You Are

“As you awaken to your Divine nature, you'll begin to appreciate beauty in everything you see, touch and experience.”  ~ Wayne Dyer

Winter snows have come with a vengeance once again to folks who live up North.  I remember how tired we used to get of scooping, scraping and being trapped inside.  My daughter and I have never been big fans, though I liked it more than she. Then there are people like my son who never weary of it.  His Michigan childhood comes back to life when it snows and just delights in it. He reminds me that there is always something magical about snow.  It has elements of surprise and beauty that we should explore rather than shun.  Within each snowfall are thousands and thousands of unique snowflakes which serve to remind us of who we are.

Our unique self, like a snowflake, will never be duplicated.  The evidence of this is everywhere.  Our DNA is comprised of markers that are arranged only for one person. It never has been and never will be again.  Only you! Even twins don’t have the same DNA. Combination of parents, grandparents and countless generations of ancestors each give us a gift of themselves in the pattern that becomes you.  It took thousands of years to come up with the design for each individual.  Our uniqueness also can be found in fingerprints. Each time we touch something we leave a stamp of our existence behind.  We are here and we are one of a kind.  The mold has been broken.

We have an individual and divine purpose in our uniqueness. The odds of your random creation are so small that it is incomprehensible.  Wayne Dyer talks about the fact that a great wind sweeping through a garbage dump, gathering up all of the pieces and setting them down as a fully assembled Boeing 747 is more likely than the exclusive collection of cells and tissue that is you.  Your importance cannot be understated.  The incredible love story of our Creator is at work here.  Such a miracle can have no other explanation. You are God’s beloved child.  Look at that beautiful snowfall and remember.