In addition to nearly dying of COVID a few years ago, there were several other instances in my life where I felt like I should have died, yet for some reason, I’ve been spared. This makes me question: For what purpose has God continually spared my life?

You see, I shouldn’t be here.

As a teenager, I was interested in ham radio.  As part of our radio station my brother and I erected a 50-foot tower with two large antennas on top. As I was cleaning up the site afterwards, my brother’s safety harness knocked off a brick on the chimney adjacent to the roof. It fell about 30 feet and cut the top of my ear, barely missing a direct hit to my head, which could have resulted in serious injury or death.

A few years later while at a summer job to pay for my college tuition, I worked on securing pallets of 155-mm ammunition onto boxcars before transport.  In another close brush with death, a forklift driver with two heavy pallets stacked on top of each other tipped them over right next to me. I jumped out of the way onto an adjacent train track just as the top pallet landed on the floor where I had been standing.

As an entrepreneur working late one night while driving home on the interstate highway, I was tired and decided to drive in the westbound middle lane rather than the fast lane.  I was shocked to suddenly see a car drive past me in the left lane going the wrong direction at a high rate of speed.  The driver was confused and had entered the eastbound lane by mistake. I could have been killed in a fatal head-on collision had I been driving in my usual lane.

Why Am I Still Here?

So, why am I still alive? It must be for a purpose, for my life to have been spared not just once, but many times as shared in the examples above plus other instances as well.  The Scriptures say…

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose…And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.” Romans 8:28, 29

For those who don’t know Jesus yet, I tend to think about all the hopes God has for them – hopes of eternity, of a relationship with Jesus, and of all that their lives could be now and into forever.

Yet, for those like me who are followers of Christ, I trust that there is a Kingdom purpose – a legacy to spread the glory of God wherever we go, to share the Gospel message with others.

This is why I do what I do: leading a vital ministry during my retirement years that distributes millions of Bibles each year free of charge to those in Eastern Europe seeking to know God. He  must have called me to such a time and purpose as this.

In consideration of this fact, I often ponder how differently my life could look. I think about how I could be squandering my life’s purpose in a number of ways — either by being apathetic to the opportunities of life I’ve been given or by focusing on the wrong treasures that are ultimately incomparable to the joy of Christ.

If any of this sounds familiar to you, know that it is not too late to begin living a life of meaning and fulfillment, a life surrendered fully to Christ with a purpose meant for serving others.

Why Are You Still Here?

As you read this, consider the fact that despite all odds, you’re still here. Every breath is a gift from God, and every opportunity to share his love with others is equally as blessed. What a joy it is to serve Jesus with our lives! Let us not take it for granted.

Therefore, I encourage you to take advantage of each and every opportunity as if it were your last. Take the time to be interruptible, to be bold in sharing the Good News, and to love those most difficult to love. Each moment we spend mimicking Jesus is a moment worth living — and the very reason we are still alive.

Bob Burckle is President and CEO of EEM (Eastern European Mission), which has been delivering God’s Word to the people of Eastern Europe since 1961. Today, EEM publishes and prints Bibles and New Testaments as well as Teen Bibles, Children’s Bibles and coloring books free of charge, distributing them through a vast network of partner churches and organizations reaching 35+ countries in 25+ different languages.