The Meaning of Life?

For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was his plan from before the beginning of time - to show us his grace through Christ Jesus.

2 Timothy 1:9, NLT

I used to think being *holy* meant making no mistakes and being pure in thought, word, and deed. But I have come to believe that holiness involves each of us willingly setting aside our own will (quit trying to be God, ourselves) and submitting to the story God is telling through our lives -- each its own chapter in  God's Book of Life, which is exponentially more complex and compelling than even the bible whose complexity increases with every reading.

Holiness (which literally means "being set aside") lies in allowing God to weave his story of redemption through each of our backgrounds, circumstances, and trials in the way an artisan weaves a tapestry but with much more finesse.  The true gospel is a tale of incomprehensible complexity, centering on foreshadowing what Christ would do, leading up to and including the cross, but also rippling through untold numbers of lives in a precious echo of grace, beauty, healing, and triumph. The story is different for each of us, yet familiar enough that we know in our souls that His story is true, intimate, and personal in the deepest sense of the word.. and that without ours His tapestry would be incomplete.

Just as creation and all its mysteries are by no means an accident, so are none of the moments in our lives because they were written by the Divine Author. Our lives (our stories) shine like lights in the sky, our circle of influence a tiny constellation or gorgeous nebula in the endless universe. God's story comprises all of ours... It is all good, all mysterious...and all beautiful.  Without our wounding, mistake, or battle, there could be no healing, no growth, and no triumph.  But that healing, growth, and triumph can only truly take place when we allow ourselves to be "holy"... set aside for His will instead of our own.