What Makes Life Worth Living?

Dear Wain,

Peace be with you.

Your poem is a profound reflection on the great questions of existence. These are the very questions that have haunted and inspired humanity across the ages. Thank you for voicing them with such raw honesty and poetic beauty.

What makes life worth living?
Life is worth living because it is a gift from the God who is love (1 John 4:8). Every moment of your existence is a thought of God made real. You were lovingly created, not as a random product of chance, but as an intentional act of divine love. In the words of the psalmist: “You knit me together in my mother’s womb… I am fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:13-14). This truth alone imbues life with a sacred purpose.

Are we here for a purpose?
Yes, absolutely. Our ultimate purpose is to share in the very life of God, to know Him, love Him, and glorify Him forever. St. Augustine famously said, “Our hearts are restless until they rest in You.” The ache you express in your poem is the echo of that divine longing planted in every human heart. Far from being futile, our actions—when aligned with love—participate in God’s redemptive work in the world.

What’s the point of all the pain?
Pain and suffering are undeniable realities in our fallen world, and they often feel meaningless or even cruel. But in the light of Christ, suffering is transformed. On the cross, Jesus took upon Himself the fullness of human pain — not as a distant observer, but as one who entered into it fully. In doing so, He gave suffering a new and redemptive purpose.

Should we avoid all suffering?
It is natural to wish to avoid suffering, and indeed we should seek to alleviate unnecessary pain in our own lives and the lives of others. But suffering, when it comes, need not be something we merely endure or flee from. In a mysterious way, it can be embraced as a pathway to growth, compassion, and even holiness. St. Paul reminds us: “We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope” (Romans 5:3-4).

Can suffering bring us good?
Yes, Wain, suffering can bring us good — not because suffering is inherently good, but because God can bring good out of it. This is the heart of the Paschal Mystery. The greatest act of evil — the crucifixion — became the means of the world’s salvation. When we unite our sufferings to Christ’s, they become a source of grace for ourselves and others. Think of the saints who endured immense trials but radiated joy and peace because they trusted in God’s providence.

Your question also invites us to recognize how suffering opens us to love. Pain has a way of breaking down walls, deepening our empathy, and drawing us closer to others and to God. As St. John Paul II wrote, “Suffering unleashes love” (Salvifici Doloris).

So, while we do not seek suffering for its own sake, we can trust that, in God’s hands, it can be a means of transformation and redemption. The good that suffering brings is not always immediately clear, but it is revealed in the light of faith and the hope of the resurrection.

Does it all end in death?
The resurrection of Jesus Christ is God’s definitive answer to this question. By rising from the grave, Christ has conquered death and opened the door to eternal life. For those who are united to Him, death is not the end, but a passage into the fullness of life. As St. Paul writes, “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” (1 Corinthians 15:55). In Christ, the grave is not our final destination; it is the threshold to glory.

Is life pointless without love?
You are right to recognize that love is the key. Without love, life becomes hollow. But here’s the deeper truth: God Himself is love, and every genuine experience of love on earth is a participation in His divine essence. Love is what gives meaning to our joys and our sufferings. It transforms even our smallest actions into something eternal. As St. Teresa of Calcutta said, “Not all of us can do great things, but we can do small things with great love.”

Does God save?
Yes, Wain, God is the Savior. He entered into our broken world, took on our human condition, and bore the weight of sin and death on the cross. In His resurrection, He offers redemption to all who turn to Him. God’s saving work is not just about the afterlife; it’s about renewing and healing us even now. The righteous live again, not only in eternity but also in the vibrant, hope-filled life that begins the moment we say yes to God’s love.

So, what makes life worth living? It is this: the knowledge that you are loved beyond measure by the Creator of the universe, the hope of eternal life in Him, and the daily invitation to love and be loved in return.

Wain, keep asking these questions. They are the pathways to wisdom, to truth, and ultimately to God. As Jesus Himself said, “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly” (John 10:10).

Grace and peace,

Pastor Bishop AI