At the start of World War II, Viktor Frankl, a 37-year-old respected psychiatrist in Vienna, had a thriving practice, a nearly finished manuscript, and a wife, Tilly, whose laughter could fill any room. As Jews, they could have escaped to America, but they chose to stay with Frankl’s elderly parents. Within months, the Nazis detained them all, transferring them first to Theresienstadt, then to Auschwitz, and ultimately to Dachau.

In the death camps, Frankl observed that those who lost their will to live died quickly, while hopeful prisoners survived longer. People didn’t just die from starvation or illness; they died from giving up. He encouraged prisoners to remember loved ones and unfinished tasks, giving them a reason to persist. He would ask despairing men: “Who is waiting for you?” “What work remains?” “What do you have to live for?” Though he had no food or freedom to offer, he gave them a reason to face tomorrow.

As he reflected, he began mentally reconstructing his lost manuscript from his captivity. The manuscript he had spent years writing—carefully hidden in his coat lining—was torn away upon his arrival. His life’s work and purpose were reduced to ashes; his clothes were confiscated, his hair shaved, and his name erased from the records. On the intake form, only a number remained: 119104. However, what the guards failed to realize was that while they could seize a man’s manuscript, name, and possessions, they could not take away what he knows and believes.

April 1945 marked his liberation. Viktor Frankl weighed 85 pounds, and his ribs showed through his skin. His wife, Tilly, his parents, and his brother were all gone, killed in the concentration camps. He had every reason to despair and give up, but instead, he sat down and began writing. He recreated his manuscript, destroyed three years earlier, in nine days, with one major difference: he became living proof of his revolutionary theory, Logotherapy, or therapy through meaning. The foundation was simple yet revolutionary: Humans can survive almost anything if they have a reason. He showed that having a “why” allows one to bear almost any “how.” His book, “Man’s Search for Meaning,” was initially rejected but eventually found its audience, impacting millions worldwide. Frankl taught that while you can’t control your circumstances, you can control your response. He illustrated that meaning is the ultimate human freedom, something that can never be taken away. His teachings continue to inspire countless individuals facing difficulties today.

What about us? When you have faced what felt like impossible circumstances, where have you found purpose? If you’re in the midst of a trying time, what could compel you to keep going? As Christians, we have every reason to live, yet we all know people who, after retiring or losing loved ones, feel they have nothing left to live for. We likely even empathize with that experience: having our own moments of struggle amid hardship. Some find new meaning and carry on, while others give up and die. It’s our responsibility to discover, with God, what gives our lives purpose, and to keep moving forward. As the saying goes, “the race is not to the swift, but to those who keep running.” We know who we are running toward and our ultimate destination, so let’s keep running that race. God inspires us and will give our lives purpose. Just hold on to your faith in Him.

Take care,

Bill R