In our humanistic culture, people easily lose sight of the meaning of life. They pursue many things, thinking that in them they will find meaning and purpose. Some of these pursuits include business success, wealth, good relationships, sex, entertainment, and doing good to others. People have testified that, while they achieved their goals of wealth, relationships, and pleasure, there was still a deep void inside, a feeling of emptiness that nothing seemed to fill.

In the book of Genesis, we find a clue to the meaning of life in that God created mankind in His image (Genesis 1:26). We were specially made by God, and that gives us intrinsic value; nothing can give us greater value. Made to reflect His image, we have a purpose: to glorify God; nothing can give us greater satisfaction.

The meaning of life is connecting with the purpose, and for that purpose to guide us into development and service. We have this intrinsic, burning desire to know what we are made to do, but before can get on board with developing into that, we need to understand why we are here.

If the meaning of life is to connect with purpose, we must connect with our source. To do that, we must connect with the Creator— that is to identify ourselves as made in the image of God. Genesis 1:27 says, “So God created human beings in his own image.” Identifying ourselves with God is awfully difficult to do if we have not explored the character of God first. Understanding His character helps us see ourselves as made in His image.

God is the Creator. Genesis 1:1 gives us a powerful image of the Creator who created the heavens and the earth. He had the ability to see from beginning to end, and He made His vision reality. We, too, are creators empowered by God; we are called to be creative and to work on this earth. Part of our purpose in life is to use this empowerment to sustain life through stewardship, including caring for our children and the earth. We have an innate desire to create that stems from God’s creative character, and we create by being fruitful in our lives.