I first started thinking about this thirst for life and meaning when I read an article about a brain surgery. It was beautifully written. Although it was a different brain surgery than the one I had had I could still identify with some of the things described. Towards the end of the article the author asked the surgeon if he believed in God, in life beyond the dead. He responded by simply shaking his head and replying, "This is it."

The rest of the article seemed colored by this interchange. Without a belief in God even though the surgeon was seemingly able to rule over life and death in the end he described life as meaningless. As I read this I remembered the words of Ecclesiastes 2:11, "When I considered all that I had labored to achieve, I found everything to be futile and a pursuit of the wind. There was nothing to be gained under the sun." Life lived under the sun believing that there is nothing beyond death is as empty as chasing the wind.

I spent last week visiting my daughter Abigail in the hospital because she is on bed rest with her pregnancy. One day I received two calls; each call was telling me of the death of a friend. The next day I was told that another friend who had spent two weeks with me at Christmas had been given only a month to lives. With all this going on I woke up at 4 am thinking about this thirst that we all have for life and purpose.