The Elusive Purpose

Little children will play near snake holes. They will stick their hands into dens of poisonous snakes and never be hurt. Nothing harmful will take place on the Lord's holy mountain.

— Isaiah 11:8–9 (CEV)

One question has always consumed mankind: why do we exist? For what purpose were we created? More importantly, what is my purpose? We ask these questions because on some level we can still feel a connection from our divine origins, a quiet thought reminding us to seek our higher selves, to live in the essence of our divinity. This quiet thought stirs within us, pushing us to find the meaning of our existence. Yet for many of us, this defined purpose seems ever elusive, like the stars in the night sky — just beyond our reach. We retain the knowledge within the deepest part of our souls, the message that we're grander than these bodies we inhabit. Our purpose has become shrouded, our connection to the divine lost over time.

We don't come into the world with a sense of unworthiness; rather it's something we've picked up, learned, or been taught. The adults who surrounded us when we were growing up passed down their fears to us. It wasn't their intent to harm us but rather to protect us from what they perceived would hurt us. It's common that most people inherently fear those things they don't understand, so they seek to avoid them. By avoiding these things, we build up excuses and false beliefs designed to protect us from fear.

A newborn baby comes into this world without any sense of the word fear. It is beyond him or her; there is no existence of fear within the baby. Babies come into this existence filled only with love. Do you know why a toddler will walk over to a snake and try to play with it? He or she has no concept of fear; in the divine source of love they comes from, the basic notation of fear doesn't even exist.

Children are born only with the knowledge of love; fear is what we teach them. Children are like chalkboards. They come into this world with prefilled messages on the edges of their chalkboards. Messages of love written on them. These messages are the knowledge we bring with us into this existence. The understanding that our purpose is love.

Our chalkboards still have open space available for us to write on. This is where we write the words our experiences teach us. This is the place where we can write the messages we absorb as we grow.

The problem is that as we age, we begin to write on our chalkboards words that are untrue, fallacious definitions that have been forced on us. Occasionally we even give our chalk to someone else, allowing that person to write his or her words on our chalkboard. These words corrupt our slates.

By the time we reach adulthood, our chalkboards are full of mistruths. The false beliefs we've absorbed over the years are so ingrained on our slates that they cover and blur out the message we brought with us when we entered the world. The words we brought with us into this world have become lost to us over time. The connection to our source of love grows weaker as the truth becomes distorted.

An example of an average child's chalkboard:

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Child's Chalkboard

An example of an average adult chalkboard:

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Adult's Chalkboard

The ego's sole purpose is to survive. By fostering our fears, we've lost the connection to the infinite source of love we came from. The ego seeks to ensure its own survival at all costs. When and if we have the courage to seek out why have we lost this connection; the ego is prepared, ready, and eager to answer the question. In nurturing what we most fear, the ego will tell use we've somehow become not good enough, not worthy enough, to have access to divine love. This is the state in which the ego thrives. Remember, the ego seeks only to enforce whatever belief will sustain its existences.

By encouraging our beliefs with constant affirmations that we're not worthy to knock on the door of the house of love, the ego ensures its continual survival. You engage in the battle of love and fear every day. The difference is that some people are aware of this struggle, while others choose to remain ignorant of it. Don't be fooled by appearances of success, wealth, weight, beauty, confidence, or any allurement to the personal ego. These things cannot yield to you what you seek.

Fear consumes our every waking moment and even our dreams. We spend so much of our existence drowning in the endless wasteland known as fear. It permeates every aspect of our lives. Like a vampire, it feeds off our vibrations, our energy, and sometimes even our flesh. It knows no boundaries, and it has no conscience. It seeks only to perpetuate its own survival, even at the expense of your own. Fear lives with us and surrounds us. The impact of its vicious weaponry bombards us. Our wounds are deep and jagged, leaving prolonged scars. Fear knows our every weakness and has a vast army and artillery to attack us. It is ever changing like a chameleon. It can change its form of assault as quickly as we change thoughts.

From the newscast to the office gossip and to our internal dialogue, it encases us every minute of every day. Fear has thus far led the themes of our lives. It can be overwhelming and intense in its presence. It reproduces only more of itself: more fear. It's like a circular staircase that has no ending; forever it spirals downward, increasing its speed in its descent. It has the power to take us over, spreading like an airborne virus to every area of our lives. Fear displays its presence through our days. Perhaps for you it starts with the morning, when you plow through your wardrobe, looking for that one thing that will change everything you hear running through your head.

Unabated fear spreads throughout our world in vast amounts in only mere fractions of a second. Its primary message to you is that you're not safe, that you are, in fact, in jeopardy. This is the trigger that sets off a chain reaction. Your ego rushes forth with a plethora of reasons for you to avoid changing, to stay within the safety of the familiar, no matter the unconscious consequences. The ego will negate what is best for you to keep you stuck in the familiar where it feels safe. If you think there's no payoff from this type of negative beliefs or self-talk, then you're completely incorrect. You're receiving something in your avoidance of change, the safety of the familiar, even if the familiar is drowning out your spirit's light.

Some people fear change so much they become just a shadow of their true selves. Their egos have bombarded them with negative messages to the point that their souls are in essence drowning within a pool of false beliefs. Fears of success, worthiness, lovability, acceptance, and death — our own or someone we care for — is all designed to prevent you from knocking on the door of the divine realm, in which you're entitled to enter.

Dr. Wayne Dyer stated in his book Excuses Begone! "Fear knocked on the door. Love answered, and no one was there." The message is simple; love can conquer fear. Yet we live in a world where our fear tells us love only answers for those who are good enough. Your false self tells you that you're not worthy enough for the door of love to open, and the evidence is the fact that the door is still closed. The reality, however, is...