I suspect all of us, Christian and non, do not want our living to have been in vain. We all want to ‘make our mark’ and, I would argue, all want that mark to be an important one, a positive one. And I would suggest that while there is a part in us that wants the glory from this, that the motivating factor really isn’t that simple. But even if you refute my last statement, my thesis remains – no one wants to live a vain life.
I would also contend that for the Christian it is even more important. There is an old gospel song that states, “… if I can help somebody as I pass along, … then my living will not be in vain.” Much of what not living in vain means for the Christian involves others. How we interact, treat, react with, etc. other people, especially other Christians, significantly impacts in the determination of our lives.
Why? Because Jesus’ words tell us that the world will know His disciples by their love. There’s an old saying, unfortunately too true, that states the only people that kill their wounded are Christians. The one group of people we need to be assisting is typically the last ones we do. We can sometimes be fantastic in our love for ‘others’ but not for our own.
The important consideration in all this is that we all want to contribute, to know that we have made a difference. And, the definition has to be in terms of other people. It is impossible to ‘make a contribution’ without the impact affecting others. You, however, defines for yourself what this means. My point is – no one sets out to have a meaningless life.
