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From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham

Q: God put us on Earth to be happy and make the world a better place. Why do most people feel it isn’t really that way? – B.P.

A: We were not put on Earth to be preoccupied with ourselves – our own problems and pleasures. We weren’t even put here just to make this a better world (although that has its place). If this is all there is to life, then it truly is meaningless, a chasing after the wind, as King Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes 1:14.

Life was not meant to be this way, and the reason is that we were not made for ourselves; we were made for God. The Great Designer – Almighty God – had a Great Design: that we might know Him and have fellowship with Him forever.

Why are we so restless? Why are we constantly searching for lasting peace and contentment yet never fully satisfied? Countless people echo this thinking, though many will not admit it.

The Bible says that this happens for a reason. We are incomplete without God. If we leave Him out of our lives, we have an empty place in our souls, a yearning deep inside us that only He can satisfy. No matter how hard we try, if we ignore God that hollow place says with us, and our search for lasting peace and happiness will be futile.

When God first created the human race, that inner restlessness and emptiness didn’t exist. Adam and Eve were completely content with themselves, in the world, and with God. Their relationship with each other was perfect, unmarred by even the slightest hint of selfishness or conflict. Their relationship with God was unmarred by guilt or disbelief.

God wants us to have this kind of relationship with Him today. How is this accomplished? By giving up ourselves to Him and letting Him guide and direct our lives.

(This column is based on the words and writings of the late Rev. Billy Graham.)

©2026 Billy Graham Literary Trust. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

(c)2026 BILLY GRAHAM DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES, INC.