“The man without a purpose is like a ship without a rudder – a waif, a nothing, a no man,” wrote Thomas Carlyle.
Dearly beloved Eyesers, why are we here? Or as the author of The Purpose Driven Life Rev. Rev. Rick Warren asks, “What on earth am I here for?”
Asking what do I want to be, what should I do with my life and what are my goals, my ambitions, my dreams for my future and other self-centred questions won’t reveal our life’s purpose.
We are celebrating Christmas but do we know the reason for the season?
God is love – not God has love – for love is the very essence of God’s character. And by the way, God created us in order to express His love.
“I have carried you since you were born; I have taken care of you from your birth … I made you and I will take care of you,” God’s Word says.
Good news: About one in five Torontonians will donate money to the Syrian Refugee crisis, according to a new Mainstream Research Postmedia poll. Among the Caribbean community engaged in making a difference and leaving a legacy is the Cathedral Refugee Committee of St. James Cathedral in Toronto.
By the way, thanks to Barbados’ gift to Toronto Dean Stoute for your work of faith and labour of love as dean and rector. On Jan. 17, our community will say a fond farewell after the 11 a.m. Eucharist.
Beautiful Barbados was my first love as a journalist, covering Barbados Gospel Festival and other events until I saw Jamaica, Land We Love.
So why is Eyes here, what on earth am I here for? To do my calling as a journalist and serving as a missionary and humanitarian as I did in Guyana, the Caribbean and South Africa, with my seminary days in Toronto and building the Rev. Gerald V. Paul Library, a my gift to our beloved community.
Eyesers, today the average life span is 25,550 days. ‘Tis the season to stop and take stock of things eternal.
The purpose of our lives is far greater than our own personal fulfillment, our own peace of mind or even our own happiness. It’s far greater than our families, our careers or even our wildest dreams and ambitions.
“If you want to know why you were placed on this planet, you must begin with God. You were born by His purpose and for His purpose,” exhorts Warren. Long before we were conceived by our parents, we were conceived in the mind of God.
While there may be illegitimate parents, there are no illegitimate children. Many children are unplanned by their parents but not unplanned by God, whose purpose takes into account human error and even sin.
God, you know me inside out, you know every bone in my body. You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit, how I was sculpted from nothing into something, Glory!
God made us for a reason. He also decided when you would be born and how long you will live for His purpose. Take Eyes for example. After two major car accidents and a major health issue, 2015 finds me still standing. Praise the Lord!
By the way, Eyesers, our race and nationality are no accident. God left no detail to chance. From one man He made every nation.
Eyes glories in a just society in Canada after working as a press secretary to a senior government minister, doing propaganda, in a dictatorship. There comes a time when enough’s enough and we must take a stand and deliver truth to power without fear or favour as journalists or preachers.
God made each of us for a reason and He is the Reason for the Season. Our lives do have profound meaning. The aha moment? When we make God the reference point of our lives.
“No that trauma you faced was not easy. And God wept that it hurt you so. But it was allowed to shape your heart. So that into His likeness you’d grow,” penned Russell Kelfer.
Dearly Beloved Eyesers, have a blessed Christmas and live a Purpose Driven Life, come 2016.