{"id":38545,"date":"2026-06-06T23:30:13","date_gmt":"2026-06-06T13:30:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stpaulsanglican.org.au\/?p=38545"},"modified":"2026-06-06T23:39:13","modified_gmt":"2026-06-06T13:39:13","slug":"is-there-more-to-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stpaulsanglican.org.au\/zh\/is-there-more-to-life\/","title":{"rendered":"Is there more to life?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Is there more to life?<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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by Pip Witheridge<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n<\/div>\n\t\t

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The question that never goes away<\/span><\/h1>\n

In every age of human history, people have asked the question: is there more to life?
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You don\u2019t have to be a professional philosopher to realise this is an important question. Children ask this question to their parents when they get old enough to ponder life\u2019s mysteries\u2014sometimes this is not long after they learn how to talk!
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Parents ask this question to themselves when their children let them down, or when their spouse doesn\u2019t live up to their expectations, or when their work is out of control. Sometimes people ask this question when they can\u2019t have kids of their own, or when their attempts at romantic relationships come to nothing. Others ask this question even when everything they want in life comes their way.
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We ask this question because this life, though pretty good for a lot of people a lot of the time, is never as good as we wish it was. And even if life deals us a nice hand, soon enough we remember that life, no matter how good, is short.<\/span><\/div>\n


I don\u2019t say all this to depress you\u2014though it might seem that way! I say this because part of what it means to be human is to ask big questions. Today, as life seems more isolated than ever, when we spend more time online than we care to admit, when the world seems full of uncertainty, we desperately need to make time and space for life\u2019s big questions.
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As a pastor, my experience has been that peoples\u2019 lives are far better when they take time to stand back and look at the big picture of why they are here.<\/span><\/p>\n


There aren\u2019t many times and places nowadays where we get to explore deep things like this. My hope is that you would join me in doing so.
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Why success doesn’t satisfy<\/span><\/h1>\n

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Success comes in all shapes and sizes. For one person, success means buying a house and paying it off. For someone else, it means climbing to the top of a mountain, or running a marathon, or completing a triathlon. For the next person, success is about relationships\u2014having and\u00a0<\/span>holding onto them. For the next person, success is giving your kids the best education possible, and seeing them earn top grades. For others, success is a combination of all of the above.
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But here\u2019s the thing: none of this success ultimately satisfies.
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Let\u2019s think about money and status\u2014something none of us seem to have enough of. How much money or status do you need to be happy? An interviewer once asked this question to John D. Rockefeller, the world\u2019s first billionaire. Do you know what he said? \u201cJust a little bit more.\u201d
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Even those with the most know that it\u2019s never enough. The world-famous actor Jim Carrey was once interviewed about his career and the riches that came with it. He stunned the interviewer when he said, \u201cI think everybody should get rich and famous and do everything they ever dreamed of so they can see that it\u2019s not the answer.\u201d
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Even when we enjoy sustained success in our careers or family life, it can only last so long, because we only last so long. We only have a short time to enjoy life. It might not always feel short\u2014some days seem to drag on forever. But there\u2019s an old saying about parenting that says, \u201cthe days are long, but the years are short.\u201d I think this is what most people feel toward the end of life. In the final assessment, it all feels like a blur.
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One of the songs in the Bible speaks to this truth; it describes a person\u2019s life like grass: \u201cin the morning it flourishes and is renewed; in the evening it fades and withers.\u201d (Psalm 90:6). I wonder if you\u2019ve ever looked at a patch of grass and resonated with it\u2014here today, gone tomorrow.
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In another place in the Bible, a man named James challenges his readers to consider the brevity of life. He says, \u201cWhat is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.\u201d (James 4:14). I wonder if you have ever woken up someplace cold, where a mist sits over the horizon in the early hours and disappears by mid-morning. Life, says James, is like that.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Even if we do feel full and happy at the end of our lives, and even if we manage to leave some sort of positive impression on the world after we leave it, we can never know with certainty where the fruits of our labour ultimately end up. There is a story of a successful ruler who builds up wealth for his family, but at the end of his life he cannot help but feel a sense of dismay. He says, \u201cI must leave it to the man who will come after me, and who knows whether he will be wise or a fool?\u201d (Ecclesiastes 2:18\u201319).

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People sometimes say that all they want in life is to make the world a better place. But each of us knows deep down that the reality is not that simple, because even if we manage to nudge the world in the right direction, there is no telling what course it will take even after a few generations.<\/p>\n

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Our search for meaning

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When people feel empty in life, what do they do? I think there are three major approaches people take. They either embrace the emptiness, chase an emotional high, or search for something that actually satisfies.

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The first approach is not so helpful. It is the approach of the disillusioned person who realises that life seems empty and says, \u201cit is what it is\u201d. It is the approach of the woman who wakes up, goes to work each day, comes home, watches her show, goes to bed, wakes up and does it all again and again, not because she wants to, but because in her view that is all that life is about. She is not excited about it, but she thinks it better to follow the pack than to question if there is something more. In fact, she has already made up her mind that there probably isn\u2019t more to life than work, and so she simply presses on. She embraces the emptiness, because what else is there to do?

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The second approach is not so helpful either. It is the approach of the short-sighted person who thinks that the key to a happy life is to chase the next emotional high: the next holiday, the next romance, the next promotion, the next shiny thing. It is the approach of the man who knows there is more to life than a robotic existence, but tries to satisfy himself with short bursts of gratification\u2014emotional sugar. He buys something new, travels somewhere exotic, tries a new hobby. It gives him a fleeting feeling of significance, but it doesn\u2019t satisfy.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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The third approach is different. It is the approach of the person who realises that giving up is not the path to happiness, and yet does not give in to the allure of emotional sugar. It is the approach of the person who lives for something far greater than themselves. It is the person who lives for something beyond their own life. Granted, this approach requires faith, and we don\u2019t all have faith. But faith is something we can cultivate through exploration. If you are reading this, chances are that you are open to exploring whether there is something more to life, and whether faith might play a part in your life. To keep exploring is to embrace this third approach.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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The famous author C.S. Lewis wrote about this third approach. He wrote, \u201cIf I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world. If none of my earthly pleasures satisfy it, that does not prove that the universe is a fraud. Probably earthly pleasures were never meant to satisfy it, but only to arouse it, to suggest the real thing. If that is so, I must take care, on the one hand, never to despise, or be unthankful for, these earthly blessings, and on the other, never to mistake them for the something else of which they are only a kind of copy, or echo, or mirage. I must keep alive in myself the desire for my true country, which I shall not find till after death; I must never let it get snowed under or turned aside; I must make it the main object of life to press on to that other country and to help others to do the same.\u201d<\/p>\n

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What is this other country? What is this thing beyond life itself? To answer that question, I want to introduce you to perhaps the most important person who ever lived.<\/p>\n

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What Jesus said about the purpose of life

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Jesus lived about two thousand years ago. He grew up in a small town and worked as a carpenter before beginning a short public ministry in his early thirties. During that time he travelled through villages and towns teaching about God and gathering a group of followers.<\/p>\n

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Now, I don\u2019t know if you believe in God. Perhaps you don\u2019t know if you believe in God! Whatever the case, I invite you simply to read on with an open mind. The point of me writing this is to help you explore the question of whether there is more to life, and no figure has been more influential in helping people answer this question than Jesus.<\/p>\n

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Jesus\u2019 message revolved around what he called \u201cthe kingdom of God\u201d\u2014the idea that there is a God who acts in history to bring people into relationship with him. Because Jesus taught as if he had divine authority, he quickly became a controversial figure. Many ordinary people were drawn to him, but some religious and political leaders saw him as a threat. After only a few years of public teaching, he was arrested and executed by crucifixion\u2014a common death for criminals in the ancient Roman Empire.<\/p>\n

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What happened next is the reason people are still talking about Jesus today. His followers became convinced that he had risen from the dead. Within a few decades, communities of people across the Roman world were gathering around his teaching and calling him Lord. Today, more than two billion people identify themselves as his followers.<\/p>\n

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Whether or not you believe that Jesus rose from the dead, it is worth considering the impact he has had on human history and mankind\u2019s search for meaning.<\/p>\n

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Jesus spoke with crystal clarity about the foolishness of building your life around the pursuit of things that don\u2019t ultimately last\u2014especially true if God exists. On one occasion, Jesus told a story about a farmer who had a terrific crop yield. The farmer wondered what to do with all his surplus grain; he tore down his barns and built bigger ones. He said to himself, \u201cYou have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.\u201d But God said to him, \u201cYou fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?\u201d Jesus finished the story by saying that this is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.<\/p>\n

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In other words, if there is a God at the centre of things, it is a mistake to live as though this life and our wealth is all that matters.<\/p>\n

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On another occasion, Jesus told his followers not to worry about what they eat and what they wear, but instead to focus on seeking the kingdom of God. The logic is pretty simple: if there is a God who created us and designed life with a particular purpose, we should seek to know God and the way in which God wants us to live. This should be our top priority\u2014nothing else.<\/p>\n

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So, what does God want from us? That\u2019s a huge question. I\u2019m happy to share what I think if you\u2019d like to get in touch with me. For now, I think raising the question is more important than providing an answer. Because simply exploring these questions is key to what it means to be human.<\/p>\n

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Keep exploring<\/span><\/h1>\n
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If this e-book has stirred up questions for you, that\u2019s a good thing. Questions about life, meaning, and God are worth exploring.

If you\u2019d like to keep going, here are a few ways you can.<\/span><\/p>\n


Get in touch.
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Feel free to reply to the email you received this from, or write to me directly at pipw@stpaulsanglican.org.au. I\u2019m a pastor, and conversations about life\u2019s big questions are a normal part of my week. If you have thoughts, questions, or even disagreements, I\u2019d genuinely love to hear from you.<\/span>
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Come and explore Christianity in person.
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I regularly run a short course called Explore Christianity, where people can ask questions and look at the life and teaching of Jesus in a relaxed, open environment. You don\u2019t need to be a Christian to come \u2014 in fact, it\u2019s designed especially for people who aren\u2019t sure what they believe. Visit stpaulsanglican.org.au\/explore to learn more and sign up.
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You\u2019re also welcome at church.
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You\u2019re always welcome to join us at St Paul\u2019s Anglican Church, 32 Moseley Street, Carlingford. Our main Sunday services are 9:15am (families and adults) and 6:00pm (young adults). We also run youth groups, kids\u2019 programs, and other gatherings throughout the week.
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Wherever you are in your journey, I hope this has encouraged you to keep asking the big questions.<\/span><\/p>\n

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<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Is there more to life? by Pip Witheridge The question that never goes away In every age of human history, people have asked the question: is there more to life? You don\u2019t have to be a professional philosopher to realise this is an important question. Children ask this question to their parents when they get […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[69,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-38545","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-explore","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stpaulsanglican.org.au\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38545","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stpaulsanglican.org.au\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stpaulsanglican.org.au\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stpaulsanglican.org.au\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stpaulsanglican.org.au\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=38545"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/stpaulsanglican.org.au\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38545\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":38550,"href":"https:\/\/stpaulsanglican.org.au\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38545\/revisions\/38550"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stpaulsanglican.org.au\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38545"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stpaulsanglican.org.au\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=38545"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stpaulsanglican.org.au\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=38545"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}