Have you ever stopped to ask yourself, “Why am I here in this life? What does it all mean to me personally?” This is a common question, especially when we’re going through difficult times.

Of course, we know that God has placed us here to love Him and others. 1 However, when we are faced with our own unique set of experiences that are part of our personal journey, it can sometimes be challenging to find meaning in all the things that come at us. That’s where we run up against brick walls every so often. We need an outside perspective from Someone who can see the full picture when we can’t.

I think that one of the most important things in our life is to draw experience from everything that comes our way. This experience, coupled with God’s counsel, will gain us knowledge and understanding and wisdom in the Holy Spirit. There’s no shortcut to growth and maturity.

We have the Answer Man, and He is guiding us in the right directions as we follow Him, but He would be robbing us of the full benefits of this life if He just short-circuited any difficult experiences and took us out of them because they might sometimes be painful or traumatic.

I believe He, in His love for us, knows exactly what experiences we need in order to learn and grow, not just in the moment but also in the bigger picture of eternity. I trust Him when He says that He will not suffer us to be tempted above what we are able to bear. He’s the God of the universe. If anyone knows what’s best for us and can tailor our life in order to enable us to gain the most from our experiences, He can. He is sure to know what is needed a lot better than any of us can with our limited, finite perspectives.

  1. See Matthew 22:36–40.↑