When we watch the news or look around the world, it is easy to feel hopeless. If we feel like our life has no meaning, that feeling is compounded. If we are struggling with an addiction or mental health challenge, finding a higher purpose can open the door to a whole new world of possibilities that serve as a replacement for the addiction.
An eternal perspective is the missing link in the lives of many people. I was an addict/alcoholic for many years until I was introduced to the gospel. When I opened my heart to the Lord, He revealed His love for me and began to show me a better way to live. I also learned this life was not my final destination. There was more to the story, way more. But think about it, if we only get 80 to 100 years (if we are lucky) on this spinning ball of chaos, it is hard to even want to quit using our substance of choice.
When we throw in the fact that many individuals turn to addiction to soothe the pain of childhood trauma, depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, and other overwhelming emotions it makes the case for addiction even stronger. Trauma often happens as our brains are being formed and addiction is a close second. How does a person give up the only survival mechanism they have ever known? Many people who struggle with addictions were not taught healthy emotional regulation. Their brain developed to be hypervigilant to incoming threats.
Learning better coping strategies and how to implement them is instrumental to recovery. It’s difficult and sometimes impossible to give up a coping mechanism that feels like life-support if we don’t have something to replace it with. One of those strategies is cultivating meaning and higher calling.
This idea of discovering a higher calling is not new. It applies if you are a Christian or not. It is important in psychology, recovery, coaching and therapy because it is how God wired us – we are eternal beings whether we want to be or not.
Some of the benefits to living purposefully are:
- Increased life satisfaction
- Greater overall happiness
- Better mental and emotional health
- Resiliency in difficult times
- Positive impact on the world and others
Viktor E. Frankl was a purpose pioneer! In his book “Man’s Search for Meaning” he shares his experience as a Holocaust survivor. Frankl describes the unimaginable suffering, dehumanization, and death that he witnessed and endured.
Through his suffering Frankl came to believe the primary human drive is not the pursuit of pleasure or the avoidance of pain, but the search for meaning. Frankl noticed that the prisoners who survived (including himself) had a greater purpose that motivated them to endure.
If addiction has become a survival mechanism to treat unresolved trauma, it makes sense that discovering meaning and purpose in life is so essential to the recovery process? So, how do we do it? Here are a few ways to get started:
1. Identify your core values and beliefs. What matters to you? What do you want to achieve?
2. Set meaningful goals for yourself. As you begin to accomplish things you will develop more direction which will begin to point you toward your purpose.
3. Connect with others. Join a support group or bible study. Since we are wired to be relational we can discover our purpose through interacting with others.
4. Help others. Giving back cultivates gratitude in our own lives. Many people who have overcome addictions devote their lives to helping others struggling with addiction.
5. Seek professional help. Consider working with a therapist or counselor who specializes in recovery. They can help you explore your past, set goals, and find meaning.
6. Spirituality. Prayer, meditation, and understanding God’s eternal plan for us can be life changing in the recovery process. I know it was for me.
The bible is a continuous love story about God’s plan to redeem His creation and liberate us from sin, hopelessness, and estrangement from God. We are invited into fellowship with God and His Holy Spirit who will show us our purpose and fill us with the hope of eternal life in heaven. This eternal perspective can ease the pain of life’s troubles.
We’re just passing through. As 1 Chronicles 29:15 says, “We are here for only a moment, visitors and strangers in the land as our ancestors were before us. Our days on earth are like a passing shadow, gone so soon without a trace” (NLT).
Part of the recovery process is learning how to live free from addiction and old ways of living. While the bible is clear about how we are not to live, it also tells us how to live instead. We are told to “put aside” things like sexual immorality, evil desires, greed, idolatry, anger, malice, slander, abusive speech, lies, (Col. 3:5-9), and drunkenness (Eph. 5:18). Instead we are to “put on” compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, love, forgiveness, peace, unity, and gratitude (Col. 3:12-15).
When Jesus taught about immoral living, He didn’t just say stop this or that, He made sure we understood what to do instead. He also sent the Holy Spirit to help us accomplish it! The bible teaches us what to do and then gives us supernatural help to carry it out. That sounds like a pretty good deal to me! Here are a few ways we can begin to find meaning and purpose in our lives through God’s Word:
- Love God and Love Others: God’s Word emphasizes the importance of loving God and others. Many consider this the heart of a meaningful life. In Matthew 22:37-40 (NIV), Jesus says, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.'”
- Seek God’s Will: Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV) states, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” We can find meaning in life by aligning our purpose with God’s.
- Serve Others: In Matthew 25:35-36 (NIV), Jesus says, “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.” Helping others can bring deep meaning and purpose into our lives.
- Use Your Gifts: God has given each person unique gifts and talents. Romans 12:6-8 (NIV) says, “We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously.”
- Eternal Perspective: Over and over the bible reminds us to have an eternal perspective, focusing on the promise of eternal life with God. In this way we can find meaning during the hardships and challenges we face in this world.
God loves you. He created you after all. Let that sink in. You were created by God to do “good works” (Eph. 2:10). These good works are designed to line up with your unique gifts and talents. Reach out to the Lord and allow Him to guide you toward your purpose.
Check out the Genuine Life Recovery Podcast where we dive deeper into this topic is episode 105 “Why Meaning and Purpose is the Root of Life & Recovery.”
