Do you feel fulfilled?
Many of us mistake fulfillment for having what we want rather than adopting a fresh perspective on what we’ve already been given.
I recently finished reading Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl. Vickor Frankl was an Austrian neurologist, psychiatrist, writer, and Holocaust survivor. When his working manuscript was confiscated by a Nazi guard in the concentration camp, Viktor found scraps of paper on which to record his story.
In his first few years in the camp, Viktor’s mother, father, brother and wife, who were also prisoners, passed away. He witnessed the worst kind of torture and watched friends die from pure exhaustion. Rewriting his manuscript on small scraps of paper gave him something outside of himself to live for—it gave his life meaning. In his words, “my deep desire to write this manuscript anew helped me survive the rigors of the camp I was in.” It was a source of hope for Viktor, and his story has since become a source of hope for others as they’ve reflected on the ways he found meaning in the harshest of conditions.
Frankl describes three keys for a meaningful life that we can apply to our lives today. They are:
#1 Meaningful Work
This could be related to your career, but doesn’t have to be. It could be a passion project, ministry, volunteer position, or work for a non-profit. This meaningful work aligns with your passions, taps into your unique skills and abilities, and serves others in a way that gives your life purpose.
I can relate to Frankl’s passion for writing. It has become a way for me to journal my journey with God, make sense of my experiences, keep my mind fixed on things of the Spirit, and serve others. Sitting still is hard for me—both because it increases my pain and because I have always been an active person—but, in some ways I think that’s the point. It is a discipline that requires perseverance. Writing insists that I be still in God’s presence, listen, and trust that He will take these words and put them into the hands of the people who need them most.
What unique contribution can you make to this world based on your gifts, personality, and experiences?
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving” (Colossians 3:23-24).
#2 Love
At the core of our being is a desire to love and be loved. Finding community—whether family, a friend group, the church, or another place where we feel seen, heard, and know we belong—is essential to our overall well-being. While online connections can be valuable, they are not the same. We should seek people we can “do life” with—who we can pick up the phone and call, meet for a cup of coffee, and trust with the most vulnerable parts of our story. They love us unconditionally, see past our faults, and encourage us to grow into the person God created us to become.
Viktor described multiple ways he experienced love outside of bonding with the other prisoners. Among them were witnessing God’s goodness through glimpses of the mountainside and sunset, and remembering how much he loved his wife. Even though she was no longer with him, Viktor wrote, “The salvation of man is through love and in love. I understand how a man who has nothing left in this world still may know bliss, be it only for a brief moment, in the contemplation of his beloved.” Looking forward to the day he would be reunited with his family in heaven gave Frankl hope in and otherwise hopeless situation.
Recently, God has been connecting me with Spirit-filled women who inspire me to grow. They show me, by the way they live their lives, that there is more to my faith—so much more—when we continue to seek an intimate relationship with Jesus. They have a sense of peace and joy about them that comes directly from the Father, and which I crave from the deepest part of my core.
Who are those people for you? How can you reach out and connect with them? Engaging in community brings meaning to our lives as we laugh, cry, and come alongside one another in our journeys.
#3 A Renewed Perspective on Suffering
This one is so important, and it is what separates Frankl’s findings from every other psychologist and sociologist of his day. He claimed that we did not need pleasure to find meaning in life—we simply needed to change our perspective on pain and suffering. We are empowered, through the work of God is us, to change personal tragedies into triumphs, learn and grow through our pain, and become more like Jesus because of our trials.
“In some way, suffering ceases to be suffering at the moment it finds a meaning.” – Victor Frankl
I was recently asked to share my story of living with chronic pain with the Foundation for Peripheral Neuropathy. When asked what keeps me going, this was my response:
“I believe if God is taking me through it, there is a reason for it. Rather than focus on the pain, I choose to focus on living the best life I can, relying on the Lord’s strength to persevere, and finding joy in serving others who are suffering.” I can attest to the fact that periods of physical and emotional suffering in my life have helped me remember what is most important, wean me from worldly things, grow in humility and compassion, experience God’s power and presence, and become better equipped to minister to the hurting. All of these things bring purpose from the pain.
Since the Foundation is not a Christian organization, my initial response was reduced to, “Jen believes there is a reason and purpose for her pain.” While I understand why they chose not to include God’s name in the article (i.e. they didn’t want to offend anyone with different beliefs), it makes me sad and, in my opinion, the statement no longer makes sense.
What purpose does suffering have if not to humble us so that God can be exalted? To highlight our insufficiency so we will discover our need for Him? To testify to the Good News and further the spread of the Gospel?
If we are simply organisms that live, die, and endure suffering in between—with nothing to believe in beyond the physical world—what is to keep us from being in a state of despair? Nothing.
This is why Paul said to Timothy, while in chains and in prison, “And because I preach this Good News, I am suffering and have been chained like a criminal. But the word of God cannot be chained. So I am willing to endure anything if it will bring salvation and eternal glory in Christ Jesus to those God has chosen” (2 Timothy 2:9-10 NLT).
The promise of redeemed suffering for the comfort and salvation of others, for our good, and for God’s glory is what propels us to make it through and gives deep purpose and meaning to our lives.
How Can You Find Meaning?
Viktor Frankl attributes meaningful work (the completion of his manuscript), love (through connecting with the prisoners, noticing the beauty in God’s creation, and remembering his family), and a renewed perspective on suffering to his ability to survive the concentration camp. He returned home after three years in the concentration camp, became head of Neurology at Vienna Polyclinic Hospital, and pieced the scraps of paper together until they became a published book. This book, The Doctor and the Soul, earned him a professorship at the University of Vienna Medical School.
In nine days, he dictated his next book, now know as Man’s Search for Meaning, which has sold over twelve million copies worldwide!
How can you learn from Frankl’s life and find meaning right where you are? I’d love to hear your thoughts! Please leave them in the comments.
