What's It All About, Alfie?

The song, Alfie, was popular around 1966 and did very well on the charts in England as well as in America. The first two lines of the song are What's it all about, alfie [sic]? Is it just for the moment we live? The song was written for the movie, Alfie, starring Michael Caine and is rated in the top 50 of all British movies.

Essentially, Alfie confuses sex with love and moves from woman to woman gathering pleasure as a bee does nectar. Through heartache he comes to realize that he needs to commit himself but is himself cuckolded and wonders, "What's it all about, Alfie?"

Is there any more to the purpose of life than to stay alive? Certainly the struggle to say alive is phenomenal. The brutality and starvation that have been forced upon others, becoming emaciated to skeletons wrapped in skin, yet, going on from day to day enduring the hardships. Why is there such a push to stay alive?

It can be a puzzling question for Christians. Several times I have had brushes with a severe accident, which probably would have killed me. After the incident was passed I thought, "Wow, I'm glad that's over, and I made it." But I still come back to my question, "What's it all about?"

Hamlet said it well in Act 4 Scene 4:

"What is a man, If his chief good and market of his time Be but to sleep and feed? a beast, no more."

A criticism that I've read about Christians concerns this very idea. Summarizing several arguments from unbelievers, "What is so special about Christians. They worry about the same things that we do. They complain about their lot in life just like the rest of us. They moan and groan about the drudgery of day-to-day survival. We can't tell any difference. When they have a brush with death, they talk like we do, 'Whoa, that was close. Sure am glad I'm still alive.' What? I thought heaven was a wonderful place; yet, they sound as though they lucked out to stay in this world of toil. They don't have anything more than we do than less sleep on Sundays."

So, why do we continue on earth. What is it all about?

We are left here as His servants, to obey the Lord, love Him, seek to do His will in every aspect of our lives. Certainly we are not left here to be happy! That is nuts with a capital "N." Difficulties abound. Heartaches and sufferings are everywhere. Why does the Lord leave us here? The answer can simply be stated: To serve Him.

If our lips truly gave thanks to the Lord during all circumstances, if we look upon every day in the world of toil and hardship as an opportunity to share the message that the world is not our home, that there is more than the mix of misery and fun we experience, that there is purpose, a real purpose to life--then our lives would indeed be different.

C. S. Lewis wisely wrote, "Whatever is not eternal, is eternally out of date." If we only live to stay alive, knowing we will die, then whatever we do and the motive for it are out of date. On the other hand, if everything we do or think or desire is to bring glory to the Lord (if not consciously then an attitude that shows it), then what we do NOW will have lasting effects FOREVER.

Christians have a purpose, a mission; and we can make a difference. The world may ask, "What is it all about?" The Christian should be able to confidently answer, "We are here to serve the Lord."