Excellence Reporter: Eiman, what is the meaning of life?

Eiman Al Zaabi: The answer to this question comes from life itself. As I contemplate a tree that is casting its shade on the street, I watch its pale leaves falling to the ground and I wonder: Are we simply witnessing the waves of transition? Are we seeing that which our eyes cannot perceive but our hearts recognize?

The tree accepts that its leaves are going to fall, but we humans struggle with transition and change. Our cells die and regenerate even without our conscious awareness; stars die and new ones form even though we don’t fully understand how. Yet here we are, searching for the meaning of it all. We are relentless in our search; we want to know.

All of us across the globe share the same physiology, yet our views of life are as numerous and varied as the stars in the sky. In our knowing and understanding of life, we fall on a wide spectrum that ranges from those who believe in a creator and creation to those who do not believe.

There is no person who can tell us if we are on the right path or not. All we’ve got is a heart that guides and a soul that whispers when met with a certain truth. The responsibility of finding the truth lies solely in our hands. Free will is the wheel with which we steer our ship. We get to choose where we are going and what we believe. Our happiness and our well-being tell us whether we are on course.

What a relief it would be to rest and say “I surrender!” To let go and ask for guidance may not appeal to the evidence-seeking human, but it is only by surrendering that we declare our humanness and recognize that the same gentle and loving power that feeds the birds in the sky and the fish in the deep sea has already taken care of our needs, too.

Faith arises naturally in a heart that knows the Divine. A faithful heart knows that it does not need to suffer or feel despair. Believing is like seeing. Believing is like knowing. The journey toward belief and faith begins when we find, know, align with, and surrender to Source. That is our spiritual duty.

It is when we combine our belief in Source with our unique expression of purpose that we fully blossom. We search continually for meaning because we want to know the truth, but also because we sense intuitively that there is a purpose we are meant to fulfill.

Every soul comes with a figurative fingerprint, a blend of God-given gifts and talents. The soul naturally seeks ways to give birth to an expression of its uniqueness. Every one of us is born with certain gifts so we can add to life in our own ways. Each one of us serves a purpose.

When we add belief and purpose together, we get true meaning. We find not just a generic meaning of life but the meaning of our life. That equation, if applied practically, provides us with the opportunity to embody universal truths on an individual level, in our own particular way. When talent meets service, our purpose is born.

However, it will come to fruition only within a spiritual context. Even if we are driven by a feeling of purpose, no true meaning exists if we do not understand life on a spiritual level. The moment we realize that there’s meaning to our existence, we hear the unmistakable calling of the soul: to search for truth and express the unique purpose imprinted within us by the Divine.

Once we fulfill our calling and our duty, we begin to sing in harmony with the rest of creation. We evolve and awaken as we move from closed minds and hearts to the open fields of Divine connection. Our souls rejoice as we live a life of joy.

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~Eiman Al Zaabi is a personal transformation coach, spiritual teacher, and author of The Art of Surrender: A Practical Guide to Enlightened Happiness and Well-Being. In addition to her private practice, she works at New York University, Abu Dhabi campus, and lives in the United Arab Emirates with her husband and four children.
www.EimanAlZaabi.com

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