Why does life feel pointless?

I have felt this question on a spiritual level, friend. This is the type of existential dread I've struggled to address for YEARS, and I'm excited to share some of the hope that I discovered. The first thing to realize is that life is NOT pointless—even when it feels like it. Even if WE don't understand why we're here, that doesn't change the fact that God knows and has a purpose and plan for our lives.

"We know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them." —Romans 8:28 (NLT)

The Point of Humanity

"Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." —Genesis 1:26-27

One of the first reasons God created human beings is for them to reflect Himself. Second, humanity is to enjoy and steward the earth along with every living thing He has created upon it (Genesis 1:26-27). When He was done, God "saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good" (Genesis 1:31).

To simplify the good vs. evil discussion, we'll use the baseline that God is the definition of Moral Good, and anything that goes against God's design is evil. ALL of God's creation is considered "good."

Made in God's Image

Since humans were created in God's image, we are made to reflect His traits, and God deemed that our creation was objectively Good. Because we were made in His image, we're a reflection of God's desire to create artistically and to bring about order from chaos. God created you because He wanted to—because you give Him joy.

Our existence isn't pointless, as we were created to reflect the Being (God) who defines what it means to "mean something" to begin with. By pursuing the desires He has placed in us, we bring Him glory with our very lives.

That doesn't just mean "we exist to serve God." The purpose of humanity is not that simplistic. Each human being is filled with nuances and "muchness" and free will—and that makes us unique individuals. The ways we bring God glory will also bring US joy and meaning and purpose.

Why Humans Suffer

The question of why we suffer is one that has been asked through the ages. To find the answer requires us to first address what sin is, and how it has affected our world.

Sin entered the world when Adam and Eve used their free will to disobey God (Genesis 3). When that happened, sin acted as a virus that corrupted the "base code" of all the goodness God created. Sin didn't erase goodness, but it broke, twisted, and tarnished goodness. As a result, there's a lot of pain and confusion in our world.

That said, God is well aware of each soul's suffering, and His desire is to be our anchor and bring us closer to Him through those times (Hebrews 6:19; Psalm 23). He loved us before were born and knows what's going to happen in our lives (Psalm 139:13-16). And He is more than willing to help us to not only survive this life—but to thrive.

"Look at the ravens. They don't plant or harvest or store food in barns, for God feeds them. And you are far more valuable to him than any birds!" —Luke 12:24 (NLT)

Finding Light in the Darkness

OK, let's assume that, yes, life does, in fact, have meaning. And let's also recognize that sin doesn't erase goodness but actually twisted goodness. Assuming these two truths, we can actually find quite a lot of meaning, purpose, and existence in our lives.

Every soul is a work of art. We all have talents, skills, and gifts. We each have a specific draw in our spirits to express love and show our soul's beauty—even if the world refuses to see it as anything but a perversion. Unfortunately, God's creations sometimes get placed in environments or around those who want to cause harm. That doesn't negate the WORTH of the art, but it does make it more difficult for us, as the art piece, to see our true value.

My friend's mother passed away penniless, half-paralyzed, and riddled with cancer, because she didn't have the funds to get her health issues checked until it was too late. And yet, my friend speaks of how her beautiful mother continued to give words of comfort to her own nurses and daughters, and how she showed love and care in ways that touched the souls of everyone she encountered—up until her last day. Even through the midst of physical suffering, her soul shined so very bright.

"He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away." —Revelation 21:4

You Have Meaning & Purpose

We all exist for a reason—even if we don't know the specifics at the moment. God has gifted us hope through salvation and an intentional design to bring meaning to our days and to the lives of others. As we exercise our free will, we can combat the darkness by choosing to love our neighbors, spreading encouragement, grieving with the brokenhearted, making discoveries or creating things, and generally be a living, walking, work of art by the Creator of the universe.

Pain and suffering doesn't have to be the final chapter in the book of existence. We all have those dark moments and some moments last longer than others. But good will overcome the evil. And just like any good story, the conflicts we're dealing with now will eventually make way for restored goodness and beauty—the likes of which we cannot even imagine.

"We know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them." —Romans 8:28 (NLT)

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