Why Am I Here?

“Why am I here?”  I find myself asking this question a lot.  Sometimes, it’s just because I’ve walked into a room and have forgotten what I was there for.  But the older I get, the more I’m asking that question on a deeper level.  It’s a question that ranks right up there with, “What is the meaning of life?”  It’s a question that begs to be answered.

So what’s the answer to the question, “Why am I here?”  I don’t claim to be able to answer to this question specifically for each and every person.  Like I said, I can’t even answer that question when I walk into the next room.”  Still, I think I can answer that question in general for all of us.

The answer to “Why am I here?” is this:  You are here and now for a reason.

I can hear someone saying, “That’s it?”  “That’s all you’ve got?”  But isn’t that enough?  Sure, it would be nice to have some specifics, but what we really want to know is that our being here is important and that our being here will make a difference.

You are genetically unique from any other person that ever has or ever will exist on the face of the planet.  Not only that, but you exist in a specific place and time in history that will never be repeated.  Knowing these things, how can your life not have a purpose and make a difference?

You may believe your specific reason for being here was prescribed for you before your existence, or you may believe that you develop your specific reason for being here as you go along.  Either way, you are still here and now for a reason.

If you don’t know the specifics of your reason for being here, ask yourself these questions:

• What am I passionate about?
• What talents and skills do I have?
• What kind of personality do I have?
• What experiences have I already had?
• What are the needs and opportunities around me?

Your answers to these questions are clues to why you’re here.  Still, don’t sweat it if you don’t have a specific answer to the question, “Why am I here?”  For most of us, that answer develops as we go along.  We typically get the answers to what we don’t know by moving forward in what we do know.

But whether or not you can answer the question, “Why am I here?” know this…you are here and now for a reason.

Now, let’s take the question, “Why am I here?” to another level…

In the Hebrew Scripture, there are many stories of people (normal, everyday people like you and me) who by providence and circumstance found themselves at a specific place, at a specific time, for a specific reason.   In fact, there is an entire book dedicated to the idea that we are here and now for a reason.  That book is the book of Esther.  In Esther 4:14, Esther has to face the idea that she was put in that place and time for a specific purpose.  The same is true for you and me.  Stay open to the idea that God has you where you are, at this particular time, for a reason.

For more on the book of Esther and the idea that we’re are here and now for a reason, check out my five part teaching series: Here and Now for a Reason.

Why do you think you’re here?  Any ideas?  Leave a comment and let others know what you think.

Copyright © 2014 Bret Legg