WHY LIVE?

For none of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies for ourselves alone. (Romans 14:7)

Why live?” was the question I had in the subject line of an email I sent someone years ago. I was in a dark place.

I had asked the person to remind me why I should live. It was an honest question. I had truly forgotten my reason for living. This might seem like a good question to ask when we see no reason to go on living. However, couldn’t it be just as valid a question anytime you’ve needed a purpose for your life? Haven’t you ever asked, “What is life for anyway?”

Are you in that place today? Many are.

The gist of my friend’s response went something like this: “The reason you live is so that you can give others a reason to live.” For me, a person devoted to her ministry of giving support to people with mental health issues, this answer spoke volumes. It clearly showed what God made me to do and what I needed to keep doing.

I don’t know what happened to my depression after that. I’m sure it didn’t lift immediately, but I had found a focus for my life again. I had found hope. This thoughtful answer from a good friend has stayed with me, reminding me that God has given me life with a purpose. I felt my life had value.

Joy came with the knowledge that God had given me life for more than just myself. Yes, joy in the midst of the depression. Joy to realize that life is not about me alone. My friend’s answer meant a lot . . . To think that I was needed by others!

You don’t have to be engaged in the kind of ministry I am for this truth to be meaningful. We all have places where we work, live, and play where we’re valued. Everyone can be helpful to others, in big ways or small ways.

I am reminded of the terrible state the world is in today. We see chaos and hatred all around us. So many in the world are suffering today just to stay alive. When we see the many crisis situations in the world it all seems hopeless. We feel hopeless to make a difference—too small to help.

But we can help. Each of us could help.

Today, when I see the dire needs of the Rohingya people as they’re trying to keep going, this message rings clear to me. The message rings clear especially as I see the many hundreds who are today affected by losing their shelters and all their belongings in the massive fire last Tuesday, January 19th. I recognize how hopeless life must feel to them, left out in the cold, realizing that they have to start all over though they have suffered so much already. This tragedy only adds to the dire straits they’re in.

But there is a way in which we can help.

The UN Refugee Agency has an emergency appeal set up especially for the Rohingya. To donate today, go to https://www.unhcr.org/emergencies/rohingya-emergency

Let’s all try to do what we can.

marja