Fortunately for us, John 10:10 tells us that although the thief has come to steal, and to kill & destroy, Jesus has come that we might have abundant life through Him. And one translation actually tells us we can have a better life than we ever dreamed of!

So many people struggle with purpose in their lives. If asked, many well-known public figures have ‘answers’ for us. Try these on for size:

Oprah Winfrey: “You’ve got to figure it out by yourself.” The Materialist: “Life is all about getting things”

Self-Group Group: “You’ve got to create your own purpose in life”

Carl Yung: “I don’t know the meaning of life or the purpose of life, but it looks as if something were meant by it.”

Joseph Taylor: “I have no answers to the meaning of life and I and longer want to search for any.”

It reminds me of Alice in Wonderland where Alice approaches a fork in the road. She spies a Cheshire cat nearby and asks him which road she should take? The cat replies by asking Alice where she wants to go — Alice doesn’t know. The cat responds with: “Then it doesn’t matter which road you take!” Profound answer. Purpose always has direction but how often do we simply not understand this? Life is a journey and every journey has a destination.

There’s an interesting story of a young 5 year old boy who showed up one day to play T-ball. It was now the last inning – bases were loaded and there were two outs and the other guys were up to bat. The hitter hauled off and swatted the ball way out into left field. Every eye watched it sail toward the new little guy. He saw it coming, ran toward it and just barely missed the game-winning catch. It plopped down in front of him rolling right into his glove.

One runner had crossed home plate but there was still time to throw home and tie the game. Everyone in the bleachers was yelling, “Throw it! Hurry up – throw the ball.” But to the surprise of both sides, the little guy pulled it close, hunkered down and held onto it like a prize trophy. He seemed to be saying, “I have waited all afternoon for this thing and I’m not about to let go of it now.” The crowd went nuts. “Throw the ball kid. Hurry up – throw it!” And the poor coach looked like he was just about to have a coronary right there on the spot. The entire game hinged on this play.

About this stately a tall, stately man came out of the stands and walked slowly toward him. Dad. His father stooped down and hugged the little fellow as he stubbornly clutched the ball. Then his dad spoke to him – and moved his hands at the same time. Sign language. A hush fell over the stands. “It’s OK son give me the ball.” I heard him say, as he signed the words.

Embarrassed heads bowed. The little boy looked his dad in the face; tears spilled out of his eyes but he slowly turns over the coveted ball. He simply did not get it. He did not understand the game. In his child’s mind he just wanted the ball. He didn’t hear the crowd – He could not – he was deaf. But not understanding cost the game.

Understanding! It’s a big deal. Proverbs 4 tells us this: “Write this at the top of your list: Get understanding! Throw your arms around her – believe me, you won’t regret it; Never let her go – she’ll make your life glorious. She’ll garland your life with grace, she’ll festoon your days with beauty.”

It’s easy to get comfortable and not understand our God-given purpose in life. Les Brown says it this way: “The graveyard is the richest place on earth, because it is here that you will find all the hopes and dreams that were never fulfilled, the books that were never written, the songs that were never sung, the inventions that were never shared, the cures that were never discovered, all because someone was too afraid to take that first step, keep with the problem, or determine to carry out their dream.” Understanding – worth the get.

Bob and Susan Beckett pastor The Dwelling Place City Church at 27100 Girard Street in Hemet, CA. For more information, you may contact them at DPCitychurch.org

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The article is written by W. Ian Lipkin, Michaeline Bresnahan, and Ezra Susser—a team of autism researchers at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health.

Although initially characterized as psychosis and subsequently blamed on socially distant caregivers (the “refrigerator parent”), from the 1970s onwards autism was understood as a developmental disorder with a heritable component. Various environmental exposures were subsequently identified as contributing to the risk of autism spectrum disorder, the understanding of which continues to evolve. Other factors like the MMR vaccine were ruled out.

The authors write that rigorous scientific testing of genetic and environmental factors—especially environmental exposures during pregnancy—necessitated the recruitment of population-based birth cohorts in which biological samples and environmental exposure data are collected at multiple time points during gestation, as well as follow-up of the children with ASDs at various timepoints as they grow older. These efforts were made possible through advocacy and philanthropy of the ASDs community.

The Autism Birth Cohort (ABC) in Norway is arguably the largest population-based birth cohort for the study of ASDs. Analyses based on ABC data—led in part by the authors of the current perspective article—contributed important insights. An ABC study was the first to show that maternal folic acid supplementation is associated with ASDs in offspring, as well as robust evidence for immune dysregulation during pregnancy in mothers of children with ASDs. Subsequently, predictive models based on specific maternal immune molecules have distinguished children with ASDs from control children without ASD—research that might lead to the development of early biomarker(s) for ASDs.

Other birth cohort studies have also generated intriguing investigations of ASD. For example, a study called Generation R aims to identify early environmental and genetic causes of normal and abnormal growth, development, and health in participants monitored from fetal life until young adulthood.

Other research methods, including brain imaging studies and animal model studies, have added their own valuable insights. In the future, cohort research will likely make use of machine learning methods to integrating genetic, epigenetic, and multiomics datasets.

Whatever the technologies employed, the authors write, the value of a specific cohort as a resource is determined by the size and composition of its population, the onset and frequency of collection of data and samples, the types of data and samples collected, the duration of follow-up and the commitment of cohort members to continued engagement with the project.

BEYOND NATURE VS. NURTURE

Genetic and environmental factors are not mutually exclusive when it comes to understanding the factors that trigger ASDs. In the majority of patients with ASDs, no links to a specific genetic or environmental factor can be identified. However, genetic vulnerability and environmental triggers almost certainly act together to cause ASD in some individuals.

The authors write: “For millennia, philosophers and theologians have debated the relative importance of nature and nurture as determinants of biology and behavior. With the advent of prospective birth cohorts, we have an opportunity to move from abstract discussions to rigorous dissection of the interactions of genetic and environmental factors in health and disease.”

W. Ian Lipkin, MD, is the John Snow Professor of Epidemiology and director of the Center for Infection and Immunity. Michaeline Bresnahan, PhD, is associate professor of epidemiology (in Psychiatry). Ezra Susser, MD, is a professor of epidemiology and psychiatry and director of the Psychiatric Epidemiology Training Program.

The authors declare no competing interests.

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