Living, Not Merely Existing

The Pursuit of Meaning in a Distracted Age

Part I: Our Need for God
“The proper function of man is to live, not to exist. I shall not waste my days trying to prolong them. I shall use my time.” — Jack London

It is easy to spend our time, to fill our time, or to manage our time, but how do we make meaning? We do not know how much time we have, and yet we are responsible for how we live within it. Much of life is devoted to maintenance to health and wellness and the things that are essential to living a healthy life and maintenance is important, but maintenance is not meaning.

Existing is one thing; living is altogether different.

What does it mean to truly use our time?The answer must be found outside of ourselves. In Plain Theology for Plain People, Charles Octavius Boothe writes,

“Before the charge ‘know thyself’ comes the far greater charge know thy God.”

Boothe’s insight is both chronological and existential. We must know God before we can truly know ourselves because God is not merely an external reference point—He is the Creator, the giver of life, and the one in whom our purpose is grounded.

Without the Creator and giver of life, we grasp in the dark to make meaning of life. We are, in a very real sense, a mystery to ourselves. We are prone to self-deception and self-delusion. We struggle to determine meaningful priorities and often confuse activity with significance.

To know God is to be delivered from that confusion.

The pursuit of meaning begins not with introspection, but with revelation. It begins with knowing God.

“So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom”.

Psalms 90:12

Part II: The Gift of Others

If knowing God is the foundation of self-understanding, then relationships with others are one of its primary instruments.

The Johari Window is a psychological framework developed in 1955 by Joseph Luft and Harrington Ingham to help individuals better understand themselves and their relationships with others. It is commonly used in personal development, group dynamics, and leadership training.

At its core, the Johari Window divides self-awareness into four “quadrants”:

Open Area – what is known to both you and others (your public self)
Blind Spot – what others see in you, but you do not see in yourself
Hidden Area – what you know about yourself but keep from others
Unknown Area – what is unknown to both you and others

The model illustrates that self-understanding is not achieved in isolation. Rather, it grows through honest self-reflection, feedback from others, and meaningful relationships. There are aspects of ourselves that remain hidden from our own view—what the model calls “blind spots.” These are traits, tendencies, and patterns that others can see more clearly than we can. This insight is both humbling and helpful.

It is humbling because it confronts the illusion of complete self-knowledge. We are not as transparent to ourselves as we might imagine. But it is helpful because it suggests that growth is possible—not in isolation, but in community. Others help us see what we cannot see, and in doing so, they become participants in our formation.

Yet the Johari Window, valuable as it is, does not stand alone. It finds its fullest meaning when placed alongside our relationship with God.Others can reveal our blind spots, but God reveals our hearts. Others can offer perspective, but God offers truth. Others can help us adjust our behavior, but God transforms our being.There is part of the Johari Window that is called “The Unknown”. God knows the unknown.

Together, these relationships create the conditions for genuine self-understanding. In this way, the pursuit of meaning is not a solitary endeavor; it is relational at its core. We come to understand our lives and how to use them not only through divine revelation, but through the faithful presence of others who help us see ourselves more clearly.

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Part III: The Challenge of Contemporary Culture

If our need for God provides the foundation for meaning, and our relationships with others provide the context for growth, then contemporary culture often presents the greatest obstacle to both.

In 1980, biblical scholar Eugene Peterson wrote a book entitled A Long Obedience in the Same Direction. Peterson describes the land of ancient Palestine as rocky, with only a thin layer of soil covering bedrock. Seeds could sprout quickly, but they could not endure. The soil lacked the depth necessary for sustained growth. What Peterson wrote about ancient Palestine in 1980 serves as a powerful metaphor for our present cultural moment.

We live in a world of thin soil.

Our attention is fragmented, constantly pulled in competing directions by the demands of an attention-driven economy and our desires. Our relationships can be equally numerous and shallow, and our inner lives can become stunted, underdeveloped, and crowded out by noise, distraction, and the relentless pace of modern life.

In such an environment, the pursuit of meaning becomes increasingly difficult. The central insight of Peterson’s book is that depth and growth take time. Depth, growth, and time all seem to be in short supply in contemporary life.

Jonathan Haidt, author of The Anxious Generation, gives us additional context for understanding the challenges of our contemporary moment. Haidt reasons that the replacement of in-person interaction with technology has brought about a generation that is more virtually connected than ever before and yet more relationally and existentially lonely. Reading Haidt helps us to see the way in which distraction and anxiety are fraternal twins—one scattering our outward focus and the other disturbing our inward peace. If we are formed by a culture that undermines depth, distorts priorities, and fragments our attention, we will be malformed and miserable.

We do not know how much time we have, and we are regularly confronted with questions about how we are using our time. But we are not without guidance on how to use it. We are fully known by God, who has made us and calls us to Himself. He speaks and can be heard. He can teach us to number our days if we listen. We have been given the gift of others who can see what we cannot and help us learn what we did not know, even about ourselves.

We live at a challenging moment. The soil is thin and rocky. It is hard to sow meaningful seeds and believe that they will grow.

but we are not alone, and we can make it.

We can use our time.