I don’t recall giving much consideration to this question as a teenager or young adult. My attention was focused on the task or activity at hand. In retrospect, I now realize I spent a considerable amount of time searching for one thing or another through the years. As a teenager I went camping often. Before each trip, I would check my backpack to ensure I had all the necessities for my outing. Later, as a young man, I worked for a house builder. At the end of each workday, we would search the area to locate the tools that had been strewn about the jobsite.
This pattern continued throughout my career. As a businessman, I would often travel for five days at a time. I would double check my luggage to ensure I had packed all the necessary clothing and work materials required for the trip. In each of these instances and many others, whether at work or play, I was searching, not so much for what I had gathered but for any necessary thing that might have been overlooked. I didn’t consider myself prepared for the task at hand until I determined nothing important was missing.
The Mirror, God’s Word
If such a question and concept is so important to my physical life, it seems it would also be important to my spiritual life. Whether we consider ourselves “religious” or not, we all have a soul, a spiritual aspect to our being. An entire library of books, articles, and videos has been produced on this topic; addressed to people of every spiritual persuasion. I have read a quote, credited to different persons, that says, “The two greatest days in your life are the day you were born and the day you discover the reason you were born.” As a believer in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, I view the Holy Bible as my guidebook (2 Timothy 3:16-17), God’s “owner’s manual” for me.
This book tells me the reason I was born, how I should try to live my life, that God observes (Psalm 11:4-5; 33:18), examines (Proverbs 5:21) (Job 7:18), and tests me (Psalm 17:3; 26:2; 66:10) (Proverbs 17:3) (Job 7:18) (Isaiah 48:10) (1 Thessalonians 2:4) (Hebrews 11:17) (James 1:3). Furthermore, the Bible also tells me I should examine and test myself (1 Corinthians 11:28) (2 Corinthians 13:5) (James 1:23-25) to see if I am walking according to my faith (Galatians 6:4) (2 Corinthians 13:5) (Lamentations 3:40). This process produces important, practical questions such as, “What am I doing right or wrong?” Presumably, I am trying to do what is right according to the Lord because I love Him. However, I am also human. So, I have done, and will continue to do, things that are wrong. The harder practical matter for me is choosing between what is “better” and “best” (1Samuel 15:22) (Philippians 1:10).
The Question Having Eternal Implications
So, is there something significant missing from my spiritual life? This is a valid question for me anytime, because I can always improve. Depending upon when I answer this question, the response will vary. In some days or seasons, there is more missing. In other days or seasons, there is less missing. On very rare, brief occasions I may conclude nothing is missing. I must admit at the outset, examining this issue is a scary proposition given my sinful nature (Psalm 51:5). But I am called to regularly take a long, critical look into the mirror, God’s Word, to assess the true reflection of my life (James 1:23). The beauty is, I will be the only human involved in this process. God won’t be waiting to scold, accuse, or condemn me for my short-comings after I look into the mirror. He wants me to improve and succeed. So, after my self-assessment, the ensuing conversation will only be between me and God.
Is it time for you to take a long look in the mirror? Is now a good time to ask yourself if anything is missing from your spiritual life? Some may say, “My walk with Jesus Christ is intimate. I am operating squarely within His will.” If this is true of your life, may God continue to bless you mightily in your service to the kingdom of heaven. But even if nothing is missing in your walk with Christ at this moment, is there anything you could do a little bit better? Most folks I know are looking to improve their lives where they can. Back to the initial question once again. I believe for most of us (myself included), the answer is “Yes.”
Something is Missing for Many or Most
After I was discharged from the Navy, it seemed to me that the America to which I had just returned was very different from the homeland I left two years earlier. Our country hadn’t changed that much in two years. I simply noticed it more because I was seeing it through eyes that hadn’t viewed daily life in America for several years. The changes were real, and with each passing year it became clear to me that the America I lived in was very different from the homeland I knew before.
I understand that most things change with the passage of time, and every generation can make the same claim, but some things have remained the same. Whether forty years ago or today, Americans have lived, and continue to live, in one of the most powerful, influential, affluent countries on earth. Despite that, something basic seems to have changed. Something fundamental seems to be missing. Consider the following current trends.
Something is Wrong With This Picture
According to the Centers for Disease Control, American expenditures for prescription medications increased from $205.2 billion in 2005 to over $333.4 billion in 2017.1 By my calculation, that is an increase of 62 percent in 12 years.
The National Institute of Mental Health reported that in 2017, 4.5 percent of US adults (11 million) and 9.4 percent of US adolescents ages 12 to 17 (2.3 million) suffered from at least one major depressive episode with severe impairment of life activities.2
Lisa J. Colpe, PhD, in an article called “Deaths of Despair: How Connecting Opioid Data Extends the Possibilities for Suicide Research” posted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, reported, “Suicide, drug overdose, and alcohol-related deaths—known together as ‘deaths of despair’—are increasing across the United States.”3 A chart embedded in this article, indicates, by my calculation, that deaths by suicide per 100,000 persons increased from 10.1 in 1999 to 14.3 in 2018; an increase of 40 percent in 20 years.
Something is terribly wrong with this picture. As a Christian, I find it easy to understand something is missing from the life of non-believers. They don’t have the love, joy, peace, and hope that believers have in Christ. But, is this malady confined to the unsaved? I don’t think so. I believe Christ followers in America are also searching for something that is missing from their lives.
Human Needs
I tend to think of water, food, clothing, and shelter as the basic needs for human survival, but humans have additional fundamental needs if they are going to flourish rather than merely survive. Most of us want to be in relationship with others, to love and be loved, to be valued by others, to be considered significant by ourselves and others, and to add value to this life on earth. These topics have been discussed at length by sociologists, psychologists, self-help gurus, and others. Many articles and books address this topic as well. These desires are perfectly natural because God made us to be relational. His desire is for every person to seek an intimate relationship with him, so he can fulfill those needs.
Yet, he leaves the decision to us. We choose what determines success in our lives. We decide what is important and what we will worship. Make no mistake; we all worship something; a desire we place above all else. Few, if any, people worship golden calves in America, but many worship gold or other worldly treasures. What comes first in your life, God or self? Some common idols in America today include power, fame, and wealth. In essence, these are nothing more than varying aspects of self-worship. Could a question of purpose, or lack thereof, be plaguing Americans today more than ever?
Spiritual Needs
What about you?
- Is something significant missing from your spiritual life?
- Are you ready to take a long, critical look into the mirror of God’s Word?
- This is certainly an important question worth pondering, is it not?
Notes
1 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, “Table 44. Personal health care expenditures, by source of funds and type of expenditure: United States, selected years 1960–2017,” last viewed October 27, 2020, https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hus/2018/044.pdf, 4.
2 National Institute of Mental Health, “Major Depression,” February 2019, https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/major-depression.shtml, 2, 5.
3 Lisa J. Colpe, PhD, MPH, “Deaths of Despair: How Connecting Opioid Data Extends the Possibilities for Suicide Research,” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, April 2, 2020, https://www.cdc.gov/surveillance/blogs-stories/deaths-of-dispair.html.
Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.