Why are we here?

Yesterday a 13 year old girl asked me, “Why are we here? What is the purpose of our being here on earth?”

Well, I thought, “Isn’t that what we are all trying to figure out?”

So I came up with a vague answer and described my calling, vision and purpose for being “here” as far as I knew and as best as I could to her( because we only know in part, meaning we don’t know everything).

She gave me a skeptical look and then asked again, “Yes I get that, but what is the reason?”  “I just explained it,” I thought…

Then I heard myself say, “We are here to be loved and to love.” Quite satisfied with my answer, the young lady nodded and continued doing what she was doing before.

Still very surprised by my answer I repeated it under my breath, “We are here to be loved and to love…”

So true.

Mark 12:28-33 (New American Standard Bible)

 One of the scribes came and heard them arguing, and recognizing that He had answered them well, asked Him, “What commandment is the ^]foremost of all?”  Jesus answered, “The foremost is, ‘Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is one Lord;  and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”  The scribe said to Him, “Right, Teacher; You have truly stated that He is One, and there is no one else besides Him;  and to love Him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as himself, is much more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.