On the purpose of man:

Man was created to enjoy God’s creation, one another and to bear witness to God and all that He created. What a purpose! Did you ever think that our purpose or job is to enjoy what we have been given and to give recognition, thanks and praise to the Creator and sustainer for what He has done? Man, therefore, being made in the “image of God,” was given an immortal element. “He was endowed with life, reason, wisdom, and all the good things of God, so that we may recognize the transcendent and have the desire for God’s immortality. For man was created to enjoy God’s goodness.” [1]

In my role as a hospice chaplain, I have experienced the greatest pleasures in sharing the day and the moment with patients who are dying. Most patients who are dying value each moment, because each one might be their last. As an example, just a few weeks ago I sat with one my patients on her patio on a brisk, sunny fall day as we enjoyed the coolness of the air, the brightness of the sunshine illuminating the many colors of the leaves as they were falling from the trees. For me, that moment was like listening to Louie Armstrong’s “It’s a wonderful world.” We were in the moment. What transpired in the morning was gone. The close of day was not guaranteed for either of us. We spoke of what a magnificent God we have and how privileged we were in enjoying that moment.

God in His infinite wisdom provided us with forgiveness so that we do not live in the past. He secured our future so we need not worry about what is at the end. It is only through these two conditions that we can possibly live in the moment. The ability to live in this moment, the precious present, is our gift from God and our responsibility to God. Is it any wonder that He deserves the glory?


[1] Christology of the Later Fathers, Westminster John Know Press, reissue 2006, Ch 5 Par. 4,5