I am sure we have all asked at one time or another, "What is the purpose of life?" Or perhaps this variation: "Why am I here?" It seems like such a profound question: great philosophers have been asked that question. Great thinkers and scientists have been asked. Great spiritual and religious leaders have been asked, too.

One would think that the answer is so profound and unknowable, even the greatest minds of all time could not provide the ultimate answer. But I humbly say to you, I have the answer. And it is quite knowable to all of us. The purpose of life is (drum roll please) TO EXPRESS.

To express what? To express as much of God as you can. If you are familiar with Judge Thomas Troward, a pioneer in the New Thought Movement, you will know that he describes the qualities of God as: Life, Love, Light, Power, Peace, Beauty and Joy. Since God is First Cause or Universal Creativity, It creates. What does It create? It creates Itself. What is Itself? Life, Love, Light, Power, Peace, Beauty and Joy.

We are expressions of God, which means we are all Life, Love, Light, Power, Peace, Beauty and Joy in various levels of expression. Our purpose is to express greater and ever greater levels of these qualities, all for the purpose of God's ever-increasing Enjoyment of Life. From 'The Creative Process in the Individual' by Thomas Troward: "We found two principles as essential in our conception of the Originating Spirit, namely, its power of Selection and its power of Initiative; and we found a third principle as its only possible Motive, namely the Desire of the Living for ever-increasing Enjoyment of Life."

Spirit creates for the sole purpose of expressing Itself. We are created in the image and likeness of Spirit; therefore our purpose is to express ourselves. Our highest selves. Our God-like selves. Which is Life, Love, Light Power, Peace, Beauty, and Joy.

We can think of the seven qualities of God listed above as they relate to us as individualized centers of Spirit this way [Courtesy of Rev. Harriet Smolka of the Oak Park (IL) Church of Religious Science.]:

• Life is the Energy of Good.
• Love is the Givingness of Good.
• Light is the Knowledge of Good.
• Power is the Movement of Good.
• Peace is the Acceptance of Good.
• Beauty is the Expression of Good.
• Joy is the Experience of Good.

We can all express more of the givingness, the knowledge, the acceptance, and the experience of Good in our lives.

Again, from Troward: "We have seen that the Spirit's Enjoyment of Life is necessarily a reciprocal -- it must have a corresponding fact in manifestation to answer to it; otherwise, by the inherent law of mind, no consciousness -- and consequently no enjoyment -- could accrue; and therefore by the law of continuous progression, the required Reciprocal should manifest as a being [my emphasis] awakening to the consciousness of the principle by which he himself comes into existence."

WE are that BEING to which Troward refers. We have been created to be the reciprocal that Spirit needs to consciously recognize and know Itself as Itself, which, again, is Life, Love, Light, Power, Peace, Beauty and Joy.

So what does that mean in our day-to-day living? Couldn't we all express Peace a little more? Perhaps by saying a kind word to a stranger, perhaps by resisting an argument with a loved one, perhaps by letting some indiscretion by another driver on the highway, go without incident. Couldn't we all express a little more Love? By expressing your feelings for another person without expectation of a like-wise response. By giving of yourself by volunteering just because you can. Couldn't we all express a little more Wisdom and Understanding (Light)? Such as knowing when someone is lashing out not at you, but because of their own fears or sense of powerlessness.

This is how we express more of God. This is why you are here. You are here to express your unique spiritual self. Spirit would not be complete without you.

Copyright © 2006 Tina Montalto
Tina Montalto is the founder and president of Conscious Kernels, Inc., an ePublishing company specializing in New Thought spiritual eBooks and audio books. She is the author of "You are What You Think" available for free at the company's website. She has also created and serves as instructor for a 7-week eCourse on Spiritual Mind Treatment also available at the website. In addition to providing a selection of original eBooks, Conscious Kernels offers a free monthly eNewsletter, a community-building discussion board, spiritual retreats, and e-greeting cards.

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