That quote is one of the most thought-provoking questions I’ve ever ran across.
“WHY did you get out of bed this morning, and WHY should anyone care?”
–Simon Sinek
An alarm clock can tell you WHEN to get up; but it can’t tell you WHY to get up.
Unfortunately, when people fail to answer the question, “Why do I get up? Why should anyone care?,” something inside them starts to die.
A recent movie titled, “A Man Called Otto” explores this very issue. Tom Hanks plays a grumpy old man named Otto — an irascible, unlikeable, legalistic rules-keeper. I’ll resist revealing spoilers, but at the crux of Otto’s constant irritation with people, brooding anger, disappointment and frustration in life is the fact that he lacks a PURPOSE.
Some of the most moving scenes in the movie involve a memory Otto regularly replays in his mind of him waking up just before his alarm clock goes off. Unfortunately, at this point in life, Otto doesn’t know “why he gets out of bed in the morning” and he sincerely wonders whether anyone really cares.
What’s powerful about the movie is that it demonstrates the importance of PURPOSE and CONNECTION. As Otto rediscovers his purpose, as he begins to connect and reconnect with a broken and flawed community, he also discovers a reason to live.
In Proverbs 16:4, Solomon made this incredible statement.
“God made EVERYTHING with a PLACE and PURPOSE…” —Proverbs 16:4 MSG
Maybe you’re asking, “But, Chris, what is my PLACE and what is my PURPOSE?”
Paul answers that question this way in Ephesians 2:10. It’s another amazing passage.
“…we are God’s MASTERPIECE. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can DO the GOOD THINGS he planned for us long ago.” —Ephesians 2:10 NLT
- Your PLACE is that YOU are a MASTERPIECE. Notice, you are “God’s masterpiece.” The Greek word is poiema and it means “poem or work of art.” You are a work of art created by the Master Artist Himself.
Regardless of the circumstances surrounding your conception and birth, you are not accidental or incidental.[1] Your life isn’t the result of random chance. You were created for a reason. You were fashioned by God, in His very image, with a divine purpose, a specific and special calling, and a breathtaking destiny. You are a miracle! You really are.
According to best-selling self-help author and motivational speaker, Mel Robbins, scientists estimate the probability of your being born at about 1 in 400 trillion.[2]
Your mom carries over one million eggs during her lifetime. Scientists have determined that the egg that formed you was choosy and could determine which of your father’s 250 million sperm cells it wanted to connect with. If the egg that created you had chosen any other sperm, some sibling of yours would be here and you may still only be a possibility or never have existed at all. Mel wrote that experts put the odds of you being the result of that sperm and egg encounter to be 1 in 400 trillion. Crazy, right? It gets even crazier.
Dr. Ali Binazir, who graduated from Harvard, got his M.D. from the University of California at San Diego, and holds a Master of Philosophy at Cambridge, put Mel’s statement to the test and said that she was wrong. He calculated that the odds of you being born are closer to 1 in 400 quadrillion.[3] My point? Just the fact that you exist is a miracle!
One more interesting fact. Do you realize that scientists recently discovered that when a sperm meets an egg, an explosion of tiny sparks erupt from the egg at the exact moment of conception. Scientists have even captured these astonishing fireworks on film. Human life literally begins — your life began — in a bright flash of light.[4] [5]
Albert Einstein once said: “There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” Based on the fact that you’re here, writing this, I’m going with the “everything is a miracle” option! You are a miracle. You are GOD’S MASTERPIECE. You are a work of art created by the Master Artist Himself.
- Your PURPOSE is to GLORIFY HIM by doing the GOOD WORKS He planned for you long ago. You were created to glorify God by doing good works.
This could include:
- Being kind to a stranger.
- Lovingly accepting someone who feels overlooked, neglected or rejected.
- Serving your neighbor.
- Listening to a friend.
- Asking for forgiveness.
- Praying for someone who is hurting.
- Sharing the message of God’s love with people who need to hear it.
The list goes on!
Mother Teresa once described it like this:
“Love is a one-way street. It always moves away from self in the direction of the other. Love is the ultimate gift of ourselves to others. When we stop giving we stop loving, when we stop loving we stop growing, and unless we grow we will never attain personal fulfillment; we will never open up to receive the life of God. It is through love we encounter God.” —Mother Teresa
So, how would you answer this important question:
“WHY did you get out of bed this morning, and WHY should anyone care?”
—Simon Sinek
I’ll repeat:
- Your PLACE is YOU are a MASTERPIECE.
- Your PURPOSE is to GLORIFY HIM by doing the GOOD WORKS He planned for you long ago.
People who know and live their purpose tend to flourish and thrive.
While people who’ve never discovered or fail to live their purpose tend to die a little bit more every day.
If you’re ready to live, really LIVE, start LIVING YOUR PURPOSE!
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[1] Thanks Christine Caine.
[2] Mel Robbins, The High Five Habit, p 60, Kindle Ed.
[3] https://www.huffpost.com/entry/probability-being-born_b_877853
[4] Nancy Pearcey, Love Thy Body, p 61, Kindle Ed.
[5] https://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2016-04-26/human-eggs-emit-zinc-sparks-at-moment-of-fertilization