As part of the PERMA model
we are discussing I would like to expand on the fourth letter
M:
M - Meaning in
Life
There is so much more to life than
money and possessions; life needs to take on meaning. Without
providing meaning to your life, life becomes dull and empty. Just
look at celebrities living in multimillion-dollar homes, going on
exotic vacations, and yet many of them are unhappy, depressed, and
a couple have even taken their own lives. Why? Because life needs
meaning. We all want to belong to something greater than ourselves
and feel that we are contributing toward a goal. We need a sense of
purpose in our lives. If you have a goal and a vision in mind,
everything becomes easier and more achievable. You therefore have
to have a purpose no matter what you do in your life.
Fortunately for us as Christians,
we already belong to Someone greater than all of us. We were bought
with a price, and we are infinitely special to Him. Our goal is to
glorify Him, to spend time with Him, and to expand His Kingdom. We
are all part of His Kingdom, citizens of Heaven, and He wants us to
support one another and to bring others into His Kingdom as well.
How we do it will differ from person to person, but our goals and
purposes are the same. In order to find our meaning in life, it is
very important that we are grounded in who we are in Christ. The
Bible tells us clearly who we are in Him. I would like you to read
a summary of who we are in Christ from my book The New
Covenant, pages 149-150 (Available on Amazon -
https://www.amazon.com/New-Covenant-Ilze-Henderson-ebook/dp/B0824VP2G5/ref=sr_1_5?crid=1ZXCUTS7OZLIO&keywords=ilze+henderson&qid=1653732256&sprefix=ilze+Hender%2Caps%2C440&sr=8-5)
:
"You are in Christ and Christ
is Mine. Christ is your wisdom, righteousness, sanctification,
redemption, your hope of glory with the promise of life in Him. You
have the mind of Christ and you live with Him by My power towards
you.
"You are part of His flesh and
of His bones. He nourishes and cherishes you just as His own body.
For as Jesus is, so are you in this world.
"You as believers have become
partakers of Christ, you are in Him. For in Him you are holy and
without blame, you are sons of Mine with forgiveness of sins. You
have obtained an inheritance and are sealed with My Holy Spirit of
promise.
"You have overcome all, because
of your faith in Jesus. He who is in you is greater than he who is
in the world. I promise that all things will work together for good
for those who love Me.
"You are now saints, for you
are sanctified in Christ. Jesus will deliver you from this present
evil age, for your sins are forgiven you for His Name's
sake.
"You are a new creation, for it
is no longer you who live, but Christ who lives in you by faith.
Your old man was crucified with Christ, so now you are free from
sin and the basic principles of this world.
"You are sons of the light, a
chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, My own
special people, for I called you out of darkness into My marvelous
light. For if you walk in the light as I am in the light, you have
fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ, My Son,
cleanses you from all sin.
"You are My Temple on earth,
with Jesus Christ as the foundation and My Spirit dwelling within
you. You are a citizen of Heaven."
This is truly who we are in Christ
today. When you meditate on this and stand firm in this truth, then
your life takes on new meaning.
Now, as I said, all Christians'
main goal is the same: to glorify God, to spend time with Him, to
expand His Kingdom, and to care for our brothers and sisters in
Christ. How we do that differs vastly based on our
talents, abilities, and personalities. His Word tells us clearly
that we are one body, but different members with different
gifts:
"One and the same Spirit works
all these things, distributing to each one individually as He
wills. For as the body is one and has many members, but all the
members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is
Christ. For by One Spirit we were all baptized into one body and
have all been made to drink into one Spirit. For in fact the body
is not one member but many. Now you are the body of Christ and
members individually" (1 Corinthians 12:11-13, 27).
All of us have different gifts of
the Spirit and different talents and strengths. Through God's grace
and His infinite wisdom, He has given me the ability to find out
what someone's specific mandate in life is. I have started by doing
it for myself, and it has made a profound difference in my life.
Knowing my mandate has set me free from so many bondages, and it
has given me wings to fly, knowing who I am in Christ and what my
specific role to play is. The devil has lied to me about so many
things in the past, and since knowing my mandate, I can call his
bluff and stand tall in who God created me to be. For example, God
has given me the ability to teach His Word. But people do not
always want to hear the truth, and they start to avoid me and not
invite me to certain events. The devil will tell me that I must fit
in, so I must stop proclaiming the truth of God's Word so that I
can reach more people at the parties I will be invited to, if I
just keep my mouth shut. But since knowing the full extent of my
mandate (this is only part of it), I could stand firm and continue
with what God has placed on my heart, and I have been so much
happier, knowing the meaning to my life. It truly has made a
profound difference for me. I have since revealed many other
people's mandates as well, and I have seen the impact it has had on
their lives too. So I encourage you to go to your pastor, life
coach, mentor, or you can come to me (my contact details are on my
website www.ilzehenderson.co.za - we can do it
virtually as well if you do not live close by) and find out what
your mandate in life is. Do not put it off any longer; it will
truly help you on your life's journey ahead.
Another thing I want to leave you
with concerning meaning is that you ask yourself why you
are doing what you are doing. It is a very important question to
ask. Even if you have a high-flying job, you need to know
why you are doing it. If it is only for the money, you
need to rethink a lot of things. I had to ask myself this question
a number of times in different areas of my life. For example, why
am I writing books? Why am I helping others to find their mandate
in life? Why do I exercise? Why do we go to our specific church?
Why do we live where we live? There are many things that we just
accept as it is. Or maybe it's something that worked for us two
decades ago and we still find ourselves there. We need to ask
ourselves the question, "Why are we doing what we are doing?" and
if we cannot really find a suitable answer, then we need to realize
that maybe it is time to make changes. We need to be motivated by
the right reasons to do what we do. Then it will be a pleasure for
us, and we will make meaning of it. Like the personal trainer said
to my husband at the gym: "You need to know why you are here. When
you know why you are here and where you want to go, then you will
be much more motivated and get better results. If you do not know
why you are here, you might as well leave."
(Excerpt from
Flourishing: God's Way by Ilze Henderson)