“To give life meaning, one must have a purpose greater than the self.”  — Will Durant

Purpose, wrote spiritual scholar and author Joan Chittister, is the engine of life. I embrace Durant’s idea of stepping outside myself for something bigger.

Knowing what I am doing and why I am doing determines the value and impact of my life’s journey. As I move closer to the end, it matters more and more. This question of limited time is a gift; it pushes me to think and act now.

“It’s at the juncture of growth and purpose that we begin to ferret out the many levels of meaning it takes to live a moral life. We begin to understand that the purpose of a moral life is to define morality, to embrace morality and to pursue it to the end – for all of our sakes,” wrote Chittister, “whatever the cost and the burden of it.”

I’ve thought a lot about the moral life, the ultimate goal, I believe, of the spiritual life. A good heart is a good thing and a lovely gift.

But it isn’t good enough to make life meaningful for me and the time in which I am living. The moral life is tested repeatedly; its grit and integrity are constantly questioned.

My good heart wants to do the right thing. My distracted soul isn’t always sure what that is or how to do that.

In recent years, I’ve found a purpose for living – to do some good, to be happy and content, to find love, and to use my art to bring color and light into the world for others.

The angels have brought me flowers to do that. They were watching.

The fundamental question, says moral philosopher Hannah Arendt, is this: Is our theology about me or us? These are things to consider while I have the time and the will. This week, I have the time, and  I have the will.

The question challenges my daily life and the spiritual self I aspire to but often fail to achieve. Spiritually, for me is all about trying to get there, but I doubt I ever will. Life moves faster than spirituality sometimes. But I won’t stop trying.

It is hard to keep up the strength and will to keep going. The idea and a sense of purpose give me moral strength and drive me to a persistent commitment to the spirit of life rather than only my security and comfort.

No church or, priest, or philosopher has all the answers for me. They can get me thinking, but I must go inside myself for the answers I seek. I need to look in silence and solitude. That’s the path for me. I am meant to be alone in this and then reach out. That’s how I find my truth when I get off the whirlwind and think.

When I get there, I will have found the way, I think, or at least be closer, to living a moral life. I’m beginning to see how.