Others are not so ready to deny the existence of God altogether, but rather ignore him and choose for themselves goals in life that don't take him into account. These goals may be trivial, selfish, or seemingly good, but often they are goals that don't go anywhere. Some time ago the Associated Press carried an interesting, if somewhat depressing story of a British peer who had died a few days short of his 89th birthday. As a person of means he had presumably not had to work for a living, so he had 70 adult years to pursue any work of his choice-anything he felt worthy of his abilities. According to the story, he had devoted his whole life to one great purpose-trying to breed the perfect spotted mouse!

Ray Hoo, a graduate from Iowa State University, tells how, on return to his home in Jamaica, he was interviewed for a job by the head of the Jamaican banana industry. The interview seemed to be going well until, in answer to the question "What do you do in your spare time?" Hoo explained that he spent a lot of time in Christian activities because someday he hoped to give his life to Christian missions. Immediately, the tone of the interview changed. He was told, "Young man, your ambitions are noble; but we want men who will give their lives to bananas."

There are plenty of things we can live for. Some live to make money. Some live to enjoy themselves. Some live to make a name for themselves. Others choose goals that are more noble. Sometimes the problem is that we don't look far enough ahead. Supposing we do reach our goals-what then? It would be tragic to reach the top of the ladder, only to find that the ladder is leaning against the wrong wall. In most cases our goals are too small. In a celebrated essay, The Weight of Glory, C. S. Lewis summed up this well:

Indeed, if we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling around with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.

In this booklet, it is not my intention to argue for the existence of a God who can give purpose and meaning to life. If you are still stuck on this question, may I suggest you try some of the other booklets in this series, perhaps starting with Is Jesus Really God? or What is Truth and Does It Matter? I will be assuming that such a God is there and that we can know him, as Christians have always claimed. My intention, rather, is to spell out what this purpose is that he can give to life, with some final thoughts about how you can find it. My primary source in the New Testament. If you want to find a book that is full of meaning you can't do better than read this. It is a book that not only describes this universe of both matter and humans as they really are, it also tells how we can find that destiny for which we were planned. This is a destiny that can provide the greatest satisfaction on our journey through this life, and also gives a hope that reaches into a future beyond our greatest dreams. This is the kind of purpose that can give meaning to all the little goals we set for ourselves (and make some of them appear trivial!).