What is your goal in life?

BismillahirRahmanirRahim
Assalaamu alaykum

I pray that you are well.

When we desire something of this world--be it big or small--getting into good schools, getting a degree, second degree, MBA, PhD, becoming a doctor, engineer, lawyer, etc, buying a house or simply buying your first car, ever asked yourself what are these for?

I regularly test my children with this question "what is your goal in life?" And I get some answers but not what I am looking for. So I know I failed as a teacher and a mother. And that saddened me. When our kids go to school they are tested so the teachers know where their students are at, whether they understood what has been taught and make adjustments to the teaching styles. It is no different when we are teaching our children at home. Every kid and at every stage of their lives is different and require lots and lots of adjustments and patience (Allah help me!). Nonetheless it is our duty as a parent to make sure our children learn their deen. We put so much emphasis on their secular learning that we forget to stop and ask ourselves "What is it for?"

So I kept teaching my children until they could come up with the answer that I am looking for.

Our goal in life should be to be in Paradise. Better still to be with Allah and Paradise is the means to be with Him. When we desire to be with Allah, we will work very hard for it, just like we work very hard for something of this world. If we are with Allah, we naturally will get this world as well. There is nothing to lose. Allah is all Generous. This is what we should teach our children, but first convince yourself this so your actions can speak louder than your words.

Remind yourself everyday, "(Some) faces on that day shall be bright, looking to their Lord. And (other) faces on that day shall be gloomy, knowing that there will be made to befall them some great calamity." Al-Qiyaamah 75:22-25

We only have this life to work for this and we may not have much time.

And Allah knows best.

May Allah give us tawfiq. Ameen.

Barakallahu feekum
Wassalaam