Forthright Fixation

Life isn’t simple. This fact is reiterated every time I come to a fork in the road of life. Each and every decision, big or small, leave me asking two of life’s biggest questions: “Why am I here?” and, “Where am I going?” And, as per my first sentence, the answer never seems simple.

So…why am I here? Of the many lessons I learned from my now-distant Sunday School days, the first statement in the Westminster Catechism will never leave my memory: Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and enjoy Him forever.

These words are, of course, a profound summation of scores of verses in the Bible, such as these from Psalms and 1 Corinthians:

Declare His glory among the nations, His marvelous works among all the peoples! For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; He is to be feared above all gods. …Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns!”
Psalm 96:3-4, 10 (ESV)

So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
1 Corinthians 10:31 (ESV)

In a world where the answer to, “Why am I here?” is usually followed by a drawn-out answer, implicating individual goals, personality traits, personal preferences, etc., “I’m here to glorify God” feels almost too simple. Granted, when it comes to living life, glorifying God takes various forms, but I think we too easily get caught up in the multitude of details at the expense of remembering our goal.

As Christians, we toss around those carefully chosen words from the Westminster Catechism without a second thought. Why is this? After all, our main purpose in life isn’t exactly a brainless concept. In my life, I realize that my deficiency of appreciation for this idea generally stems from my lack of understanding of its implications.

These implications seemed to hit me all at once one Sunday during a time of worship at church, through the words of a few songs. The lyrics that probably put it most forthrightly are as follows:

If all I’ve done at last should come to nothing
And all I love like sand be washed away
Still I will sing of Your unfailing glory
And worship still, because of who You are

Great is the Lord
Great is Your name
I give my life
To sing Your praise

(Starfield, Sparrow/EMI, ©2006)

Essentially, glorifying God doesn’t simply mean paying lip-service when we’re asked what our goal in life is. It means submitting every personal goal, preference, and plan to His will, and sacrificing them if they don’t bring Him glory. It means giving our lives.

At the point that I was graciously reminded of these truths, instead of feeling a sense of guilt or added pressure, I felt a sudden sense of relief. Not only was my first question answered, but so was my second.

If my purpose now is to glorify God, then that is the sole goal around which I need to orient my future.

I distinctly remember the single most common question I was asked last year before graduation. It was the infamous, “So, what do you plan on doing with your life?” I chuckled at the fact that it was generally asked with a simple tone akin to questions like, “What’s your name?” and, “Would you like a cookie?” And I was expected to answer with the same confidence.

Generally, I could reply with a rough outline of my college plans, but since then I’ve come to a more profound (and even more confident) answer to that question. I may not always know what my future will look like (be it a week from now, or a year), but I do know that my calling will never change. The one, single thing I am called to as a Christian is to glorify God with my life.

Thankfully, this goal doesn’t require hours of stress and logistical planning, because when I embrace the goal of glorifying God in my life with my whole heart, I can be confident that my goal is aligned with God’s. And, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31, ESV)

Filed under: Christian Living