What is life's purpose?

This morning while walking through the hallway at our Christian school, I was stopped by one of our teachers. She asked me to come into the class and enter a debate, of sorts, that they were having.

Apparently one of the girls in class had voiced her opinion that her goal in life was to be happy. At the end of the day all that matters, is whether she is happy or not. The teacher was concerned with her answer, as she should have been. It an earnest desire to help this young, beautiful, everything-going-for- her-girl, the teacher plead with her to please hear her...the ultimate goal in life is NOT to be happy. Happiness comes and goes. Happiness if often based on our circumstances. The wise teacher told her to seek JOY that can only come from the Lord.

So, in I walk. All eyes turn and the students looked eagerly to see whose side I was going to take. Wow, talk about peer pressure. :) I shared with this sweet, misguided girl, her class, and her teacher, something my Dad told me on countless occasions. As Dad so often directed me, I sent her to Revelation 4:11. It gives us our purpose in one concise verse. It says, "Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created."

I am designed to bring God pleasure. I have an ultimate purpose to all that I do and say. The key, as I understand it, to bringing God pleasure, is to glorify Him. In essence, I need to live my life in a way that glorifies Him! I Corinthians 10:31 gives clear direction to how I am supposed to do this. "Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God."

True satisfaction from a job well done will come in my life when I bring glory to God. As it was said by CT Studd, "Only one life twill soon be past, Only what's done for Christ will last."

I pray the girl heard, both with her mind and heart, what was said to her today. She is at an age where doors are opening and she has countless opportunities. I pray that she and I both use our lives to bring God pleasure.