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Why am I here? What is my life’s purpose?
By Kurt Simons | July 4, 2007
The basic Second Coming teaching on this matter is that people are created, “not for the sake of themselves, but for the sake of others.” (True Christian Religion 406) In other words, we are born to be useful to other people. (Arcana Coelestia 1103) The striking aspect of this teaching, however, is that this is not just some impersonal process, with a faceless mass of people making interchangeable contributions; on the contrary, every person ever born, or whoever will be born has a use to serve, a role to play, that is absolutely unique to him or her. Just as no two cells in the body are exactly the same, so no two people are the same or have the same use. Every person has something unique to contribute to other peoples’ lives that no one else could do. It may be a good use or an evil use because we are all in spiritual free will. However, either way, we will all make our own special contribution, and that contribution is the reason each of us was born.
The exact nature of each person’s use is a complex matter, involving all our many and endlessly changing thoughts, activities and interactions with other people, from the physical up through the social/psychological to the spiritual. For instance, a person at different moments may be in their role as a spouse, parent, voter, employee, friend, volunteer, discussion participant, customer, athlete and so on. The total combination of all such roles any one of us has defines not only the use we fill but the person we are.
Why is such importance attached to the use we perform? Because, we’re taught, usefulness is the fundamental basis of happiness. This is no news to anyone who has worked hard toward a goal and achieved it, with the resulting good feelings that went with that achievement. But the very best feelings arise from situations where what you have achieved serves someone else.
What about in Heaven?
A traditional idea about life in heaven comes from the statement in King James (and other) translations of the Bible that
“And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them” (Revelation 14: 13).
This statement appears to have been the origin of the idea that life in heaven is a matter of sitting around and resting, not doing much, if anything. Some modern translations paint a more accurate picture as to what this teaching actually says:
“And I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this down: Blessed are those who die in the Lord from now on. Yes, says the Spirit, they are blessed indeed, for they will rest from all their toils and trials; for their good deeds follow them!” (ibid., New Living Translation)
The teachings of the Second Coming underline this interpretation. “‘That they may rest,’ signifies that they will have peace in the Lord; by ˜peace” is meant rest of the soul when no longer infested as before by evils and falsities, thus by hell (Apocalypse Revealed 640).
“Eternal rest is not idleness, for from idleness come languor, torpidity, stupor and drowsiness of the mind and so of the whole body. These are death, not life, still less the eternal life in which are the angels of heaven. Eternal rest, therefore, is a rest which dispels them and makes a man live. Such rest can be nothing else than something which elevates the mind, and therefore some study and work whereby the mind is aroused, vivified and delighted, being thus affected according to the use from which, in which, and for which the work is done. Hence it is that the whole of heaven is regarded by the Lord as a containant of uses, and every angel is an angel according to his use. The delight of use carries him along as a favoring current carries a ship, and causes him to be in eternal peace and in the rest that belongs to peace. This is what is meant by eternal rest from labors” (Married Love 207: 7).
As an illustration, the teachings of the Second Coming describe an occasion Swedenborg saw in the spiritual world in which incoming good spirits were allowed to try out a full-time diet of whatever they thought would make them happy in heaven (Married Love 2 ff.). Some of the spirits chose partying all the time, others going to church all the time, others having heavy discussions all the time, others just sitting around taking it easy. All these spirits quickly discovered that they couldn’t stand a full-time diet of their choice. While each of those activities is part of the daily life of heaven, they are not the essence of heaven. Instead, the spirits learned the simple but profound truth that the secret of true happiness lies in being useful to other people.
What, exactly, do angels do all day? “[T]here are in heaven more functions and services and occupations than can be enumerated; while in the world there are few in comparison. (Heaven and Hell 393). Some of those uses are familiar to us, paralleling those in this world., such as “ecclesiastical affairs, civil affairs, and domestic affairs” (Heaven and Hell 388), or that
“Some societies are employed in taking care of little children; others in teaching and training them as they grow up; others in teaching and training in like manner the boys and girls that have acquired a good disposition from their education in the world, and in consequence have come into heaven.” (Heaven and Hell 391).
Others are unique to the spiritual world. For instance,
“There are some societies that defend from infestations by evil spirits the newly arrived spirits that have just come from the world; there are some that attend upon spirits that are in the hells, and restrain them from tormenting each other beyond prescribed limits; and there are some that attend upon those who are being raised from the dead. In general, angels from each society are sent to people to watch over them and to lead them away from evil affections and consequent thoughts, and to inspire them with good affections so far as they will receive them in freedom; and by means of these they also direct the deeds or works of people by removing as far as possible evil intentions (ibid.).
In other words, the uses we can become involved in in the other world far surpass the options we have here. But it is here we lay the foundations of thus being useful, so that, at the end, when we enter the life of heaven, our Master can welcome us: “Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!” (Matthew 25: 21)
For Further Reading
From the Books of the Second Coming
The True Christian Religion. Containing the Universal Theology of The New Church Foretold by the Lord in Daniel 7; 13, 14; and in Revelation 21; 1, 2 - particularly Chapter 7. An overview of what usefully serving the neighbor is all about.
Topics: Overview |
March 4th, 2008 at 5:34 pm
Thank you for reminding me of the reason for my life. I suppose everyone goes through dry periods when the point of it all seems remote or absent. Lovely to realize that both you and the angels assigned to help out the folks here are fulfilling their purpose in helping when we get down and don’t see a reason for living.
Diane Geanuleas