The Purpose of Life

Is it possible that the purpose of life could be very simple? In the Bible it says that God gave us three blessings - to be fruitful, multiply and have dominion over the earth. These were God's simple instructions on how to live our lives. But what do they really mean?

Be Fruitful. A tree becomes fruitful only after it matures completely. Likewise, man and woman are meant to reach full maturity before bearing fruit, or their children. In actuality, this means to become the kind of unconditional loving person that each of us is meant to be. Without first becoming a loving person, we can't become the spouse and parent that our family needs.

Multiply. Based upon attaining our full maturity, we can then multiply. Can you imagine a Christlike man and a Christlike woman joining in marriage and creating a family? This was God's ideal. Children from this marriage would grow up with complete security and would pass on the love that they had received to their children and future generations.

Have Dominion over the Earth. This means to take care of the natural world with love. Each of us was created with our own unique abilities and talents to use in interacting with each other and the natural world in loving ways.



So if all of these three blessings were fulfilled, what more could we ask for? Our purpose in life would be fulfilled. Each of us would be completely loving and secure, we would live in a peaceful society within our loving families, and we would fulfill our potential through our interaction with the world around us. Sounds like the Kingdom of Heaven to me!

For a more complete explanation, see Chapter 1, Section 3 of the Divine Principle.

What is the Meaning of My Life?

"What is the meaning of my life? What is the meaning of my life?" Like a tape recording going over and over inside my brain, I just couldn't get these questions out of my mind. I was away at college and it seemed as though everywhere I looked I saw meaninglessness and confusion all around me. Life on the campus revolved around partying, taking drugs and having sex. But somehow I didn't fit in and felt uncomfortable with this lifestyle. I wondered, "Is there something wrong with me? Or is something wrong with the rest of the world?"

Here I was, preparing myself for a future career where I would work 40 hours a week for many years to come. But I didn't even know who I was, what my purpose in life was and what life was all about in the first place. I took a psychology class hoping to find some answers, but the professor seemed to be even crazier than I was feeling. No answers there.

Finally in desperation, I cried into my pillow one night asking God if he was real and if there was any meaning to life. This was an especially desperate move coming from a hard-core atheist. Then I took another desperate move. I packed up my few belongings, withdrew what little money I had from the bank and started walking down the road in search of "the meaning of life". I had decided that if there was no purpose to life, then there was no point in even being alive. Therefore, I needed to begin my search to find the answers I sought.

I had no idea where I would begin my journey, but I figured I better go someplace warm since I didn't know where I would be staying and may end up sleeping outside. So I hitchhiked to Chicago and caught a train to New Orleans. A few months later I met a member of the Unification Church of the Rev. Sun Myung Moon, who invited me to come to the church center. The last thing I was interested in was "God" or "church," but something about this young man (and my stomach) convinced me to go with him to listen to a talk followed by dinner.

What I heard there amazed me and what I saw at the center surprised me even more. They talked about how God intended all of mankind to be "one family" living together as brothers and sisters in loving relationships. I saw this actually being practiced at the center. There were people from all different countries and different races living and working together harmoniously. I met people from Japan, Austria, France, Israel, Honduras, and Italy to name a few.

Through the lectures, my mind began to open up to the possibility that God really existed. But this was all in theory. I needed to know in actuality if what they were teaching were true. Therefore, I joined the church and thus began my spiritual journey of discovering God and the real meaning of life.

Now years later, I can say with absolute confidence that the teachings are true, based on my many years of practice, study and witnessing the life of Rev. Moon, who embodies the teachings more than anyone else on earth. My life now has a meaning and depth that I could never have imagined before. To learn more, go to Divine Principle.

More Personal Testimonies

God's guidance in my life

My life in search of the truth