What am I doing here? Have you ever asked yourself this question? This time of year, with winter all around hitting us with waves of snow and cold, that’s a question I often ask myself. Wouldn’t it be simpler to live in a warmer climate where the sun shines every day, and everyone lies around enjoying the warm breezes and cloudless days? I’m assuming you know the answer to that. Places like that are extremely rare, if they exist at all. God made the weather patterns to produce a wide variety of conditions. There are all sorts of consequences to weather that people must endure no matter where they live.
But what about the larger meaning to the question, “What am I doing here?” What meaning is there in the life that I live? Yes, that’s another question I ask myself at times. Am I floating through life just barely getting by? Or have I found meaning and purpose to the life I’m living? If you’re like me, both answers apply, depending on my attitude at the time. This is a good time of year to take a moment and reflect on where you are and write out a few thoughts on what your purpose is.
Historians tell us that one reason the North won the Civil War was because of their resolve to never give up. And some say that resolve was due in part to their ability to endure the long harsh winters of the northern climates. I can relate to that thought. The days are short, the air is cold, the snow seems unrelenting at times. But we endure it. We keep going to work or school and to church. Even though we may ask, “What am I doing here?” we stand up to the strain of winter. Will the Lord find faith on the earth when he returns? Jesus asked that question, I believe, because he understands the trials you are going through. He knows it takes resolve to keep your faith even in the toughest of times. Jesus endured the same temptations and trials as you and me, yet he never lost his faith. And better yet, since he endured to the end, he promises to be there for you in times of doubt.
So, keep the faith! Jesus told us to trust in him. He has gone to prepare a place for us to live with him and his Father in his Kingdom (John 14), and gave us this wonderful promise, “I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me wherever I am.” What am I doing here? I’m loving Jesus by keeping his commandments, by loving God and loving people with the assurance that Jesus is always with me as my faith is constantly strengthened. Live your life each day so that he finds faith on earth when he returns.
Robert Morrison,
member and former pastor of Maple Grove Community Church, Kokomo, IN and past Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Church of God General Conference