The Point of Life

Well, pull up a chair—slowly now, mind the knees—and let’s have a real talk. If you’re like me, you’ve reached that stage of life where your "get up and go" has mostly "got up and went," and you spend a significant portion of your day looking for your glasses while they are perched firmly on top of your head.

It’s Wednesday, July 8, 2026, and while the world outside is buzzing with flying delivery drones and AI gadgets that can practically cook your dinner, we’re sitting here wondering the same thing people have wondered since the Garden of Eden: "What exactly is the point of all this?"

Specifically, what is the point of *your* life right now? It’s a question that hits a bit differently when you realize you’ve got more sand in the bottom of the hourglass than in the top. When we were thirty, we were too busy trying to pay the mortgage and keep the kids from drawing on the walls to worry about "the point." But now, as we pass the apex and start looking at the finish line, the question isn't just academic. It’s urgent.

Some folks think we are just the sum of our parts—or rather, the sum of our pasts. They’ll tell you that you’re grumpy because your Great-Uncle Thaddeus was grumpy, or that you’re stuck because of the economy in 1982. They want to treat us like we’re just leaves blowing in the wind, with no say in where we land. But as Christians, we know better. We aren't victims of cosmic accidents or family trees; we are stewards of a life given by the Creator.

Think about Joseph. Not the one with the carpenter’s tools, but the one with the "Technicolor" coat. Talk about a rough start! His brothers literally sold him into slavery. If anyone had an excuse to sit in a corner and pout about his "sphere of influence," it was him. He went from a favorite son to a slave, then to a prisoner on a false charge. But Joseph didn't believe life was about his comfort; he knew it was about God’s sovereignty. He eventually saved an entire civilization from starving. He realized that what others meant for evil, God meant for good (Genesis 50:20).

Then there’s Daniel. He was snatched away as a teenager to a foreign land, Babylon, which was basically the ancient version of a place that didn't share any of his values. He could have just "blended in" to survive. Instead, he stayed faithful through multiple kings and a very crowded lion’s den. He didn't retire from his faith when he got his AARP card (or the Babylonian equivalent). He stayed the course.

Even in modern times, we see that persistence is the name of the game. Look at J.K. Rowling. Before she was a household name, she was a single mom on welfare, facing rejection after rejection. Twelve publishers told her "no." Most people would have taken that as a sign to give up and start a hobby like competitive knitting. But she pushed through. While her story isn't a theological treatise, it reminds us that our current "circumstances" are rarely the final word on our "potential."

Now, let’s talk about the "H" word: Happiness. Our culture is obsessed with it. We’re told that the point of retirement is to finally be "happy"—which usually involves a lot of golf, cruises, and eating dinner at 4:30 PM to catch the early bird special. But if you raise a child (or a senior) to believe that their only goal is to be happy, you end up with someone who has the moral backbone of a chocolate éclair.

True character—the stuff that actually tastes like something to God—is built on self-discipline, respect, and setting goals that don't revolve around our own belly buttons. After living through about three-quarters of a century, I’ve noticed a pattern: the most miserable people I know are the ones most focused on themselves. They’re like a person trying to take a selfie with a lens that only zooms in. All they see is their own wrinkles and grievances.

The happiest people? They’re the ones who have forgotten where they put their self-interest. They are focused on others. As Mahatma Gandhi famously said, "The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others" (Source: mkgandhi.org).

From a Christian perspective, this is just "The Great Commandment" in action. Jesus told us to love our neighbors as ourselves. He didn't add a disclaimer saying, "unless you’re over 70 and your back hurts." In fact, our senior years are when we have the most to give! We have wisdom, we have stories, and most importantly, we have the perspective that life is fleeting.

Look at the giants of history. Martin Luther King, Jr. didn't seek a comfortable life; he sought justice for others. Mother Teresa didn't look for "me time" in the slums of Calcutta; she looked for the face of Christ in the dying. Albert Schweitzer, a brilliant man, took the words of Jesus literally and spent his life serving in Africa. These people didn't leave legacies because they were "happy"; they left legacies because they were *useful*.

As we navigate 2026, with all its technological noise, don't let the world tell you that you’re "past your prime." In God’s kingdom, there is no such thing as a "past-due" date. Your point of life today is the same as it was when you were twenty: to glorify God and enjoy Him forever by serving the people He puts in your path.

So, let’s stop worrying about our "legacy" as if it’s a statue someone might build later. Our legacy is the person we encourage today, the grandchild we pray for, or the neighbor we help. A life focused on "me" is a very small, cramped apartment. A life focused on others, under the grace of God, is a mansion with an infinite view.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go find those glasses. I’m pretty sure I left them in the fridge when I was looking for the mustard.

Sources:

1. Holy Bible, New International Version (NIV), Genesis 37, 39-41, 50:20; Book of Daniel.

2. "Mahatma Gandhi Quotes," mkgandhi.org, accessed July 1, 2026.

3. "The Life of Mother Teresa," vatican.va, accessed July 1, 2026.

4. "J.K. Rowling Biography," jkrowling.com, accessed July 1, 2026.

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