Do you remember being a child and asking your teacher or parent why you had to learn something that you'd never use in life? 

A child's world is small; their limited perspective is based on the quality of love they receive, what their senses tell them, and what they have experienced in their young life. Busy playing, experimenting with interpersonal relationships, and discovering how the world works, a child could care less what their life purpose is.

We are granted seventeen years to “try life on for size.” Once we turn eighteen, we are expected to actually “wear” it. Suddenly we find ourselves faced with the responsibility of navigating the world on our own. We begin to realize that we are, in essence, a lone wanderer on an uncharted path. If we have had the advantage of positive parenting, our foundation of self-esteem and the continuity of family love will support our efforts. If we haven’t, the future may look like a  frightening place. But either way, along with all the joy and love that life has to offer, we will all eventually come face to face with adversity.

Every one of us has pondered the purpose of life; why we are born, why we struggle, and what happens after we die.  If we fail to dig deeper, life will not make sense, it will have no meaning. Are we just tiny meaningless entities in the universe who die and then are recycled into the earth without leaving a trace?  This couldn’t be farther from the truth. As in many other instances of analysis, we must always look at the bigger picture.

There is a greater plan for everything that has or will ever exist. Human beings are the physical manifestation of evolving souls. Our bodies are the vessels that allow us to experience life. We are spiritual beings who are one with the universe.  The universe is perfection exemplified; human beings are not.

Our souls progress through what we experience while in our physical bodies. Adversity is how we learn and grow in life. Our lives would be pointless without it. There is no suffering or adversity in the beautiful, blissful, spiritual realm, our true home where we spend most of eternity. We make the choice to keep coming back to Earth School so we can experience life to enlighten and advance our souls. We thoughtfully pre-outline the lessons we need to learn and the people that will assist us in that learning process. Because we make these decisions while in a place of serenity and cannot remember how difficult life as a human may be, our souls may take on extremely difficult challenges.

No two souls seek the same experiences; that's why no two people are alike. We are here to work things out; to grow through challenges and rise above adversity. Every one of us is here on an important mission that only we can accomplish.  With that said, we all have free will; once we are here we are able to decide how our life will play out.  But with the knowledge that we will inevitably need to jump certain hurdles, we might as well face things head on.  In the face of adversity we must look our problems square in the eye, and then pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and resume the act of living.

So what is our purpose in life? Our purpose is to love, learn and experience as much as possible so that we may fulfill our mission of further enlightening our souls. Our purpose is to grow through the many challenges we face while knowing that life as we know it is very temporary.  And in the end, when we have completed our journey, we get to go home.

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