Living a meaningful life

One of my friends recently said that her mother showed her how to live a meaningful life. I found the word “meaningful” interesting. Not spectacular, famous, popular or glamorous, but meaningful. Her day-to-day life would be considered ordinary by most—unless she touched your life in some way with her hard work, humor, friendliness, practicality, or service. Her mother had, in fact, touched my life in a variety of ways. I consider her a worthy role model.

We don’t have to look far to find glamorous and exciting lives—Facebook, YouTube and TV are full of them. Charles Murray, a scholar and author, speaks about the “life well lived.” He defines this as a life in which we would look back and feel like we had accomplished much, and that our actions had lasting value.

He spoke to an audience in Zurich ten years ago on this topic. After the speech, some of the younger participants told him this idea didn’t mean anything to them. They were having a great time with their current partner, “new BMW, and vacation home in Majorca. They saw no major voids in their lives.”

Murray said, “That mentality goes something like this: Human beings are a collection of chemicals that activate and, after a period of time, deactivate. The purpose of life is to while away the intervening time as pleasantly as possible” (as told in D.Todd Kristofferson, “Choice and Commitment,” January 2020).

We live in a global culture that generally seeks pleasure as life’s purpose. But if pleasure is not the meaning of life, what is? To answer that question, let’s back up and take a look at the big picture–why are we here?

Before we were born, we lived with our Father in Heaven as his children. He taught us, loved us, and helped us grow as Spirit beings. The time came for us to come to earth to obtain a body, and to gain experience that “could come only through separation from our heavenly parents…. I am certain we left our Father with an overwhelming desire to return to Him, that we might gain the exaltation He planned for us and which we ourselves so much wanted” (Thomas S. Monson, “Ponder the Path of Thy Feet,” October 2014, also see Psalms 82:6, Acts 17:28-29, Jer1:5, D&C 138:56.)

A “meaningful life,” then, is the life that helps us grow in character and spirit to become more like our Father, as we prepare to return to Him.

Our loving Heavenly Father sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to show us the way back to our heavenly home through his teaching and example. Jesus, as the literal son of God, suffered for our sins and mistakes to give us the ability to recover through repentance, and He was crucified and resurrected, Himself overcoming death and providing that gift to all the human family. “No man cometh unto the Father, but by me,” Jesus taught in John 14:6. Jesus Christ’s roles as Redeemer and teacher make him central in our quest to return to our Heavenly Father.

Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount “to be merciful, humble, righteous, pure in heart and peacemakers. With the parable of the good Samaritan Jesus teaches us to love and to serve our neighbors. In the parable of the lost sheep, He instructs us to rescue those who have lost their way” (Monson, 2012).

As we follow Jesus’s example and commandments, we can experience “joy in any circumstance.” We receive power from God, and we have the hope of eternal glory (Russell M. Nelson, “Joy and Spiritual Survival,” October 2016).

Here are some of the events and characteristics of the mother of my friend.

She attended church weekly, participated, and contributed to the well-being of people in her congregation—really, she would help anyone who crossed her path. After retirement, she and her husband served church missions together. She has participated many years in a local service organization, working to provide services for people in our community. She was an attentive mother and raised a family of resilient and contributing children, who are now raising their own families of resilient, contributing children. She worked on the family farm, established a catering business, and developed other talents and skills. She has always loved a good laugh. Disappointment, sorrow, loneliness, grief, temptation…all of these she overcame through her life as she relied on the grace, strength and teachings of Jesus Christ. Her good life has strengthened so many people, who also consider her a worthy role model.

We will find that personal pleasure can never work as the focus of life. It is certainly a wonderful accent to life, but as a sole focus, time will show it to be only a hollow shell. Instead, we can grow and develop as eternal beings, preparing to reunite with our Father in Heaven. We do this as we follow the path established by Jesus Christ.

Jesus’s path will lead us to a life of contribution, improvement, love, and joy. His path also leads us to a life of glory with Him and our Heavenly Father--the ultimate meaningful life.

Beth Wright counts her blessings every day as she strives to live her own meaningful life. She is thankful for the summer sun and the Restoration of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.