Why
Why
A day to ponder as I have spent a good portion of time considering: What is my core?
What is it that drives me? What motivates me even on cloudy or physically and mentally hard days? What gives me strength and purpose when there is a great struggle or the satisfaction of success?
Both struggle and success have ways of sidelining or neutralizing our passion if we’re not careful. In Weightwatchers, we talk about identifying the “why.” Why am I willing to work hard to lose weight or maintain goal weight? Why get back up, keep going, or start again. The “WHY” is critical. It will empower us to focus on what’s incredibly important to us.
We gain strength when we remember our “WHY.”
In business, we identify our vision, mission, values, goals, and objectives to fulfill our vision for the company or even our jobs within the company.
But these are ancillary to the core of who we are. They are bi-products. It’s the choices we make as a result of who we are. They are not the “WHY.”
It is the “WHY” that gives us the ability to identify the what and the how.
I frequently find myself running into my personal mission statement in my daily activities. Let me explain. My personal mission statement is: “To teach people how to achieve their God-given potential through the power of Jesus Christ.”
But this is not the core of who I am. It isn’t the “WHY” – it’s the “HOW” I fulfill the “WHO” I am.
The person and personality God created me to be, filled with “His Purpose,” that is the core of who I am. I say “filled with His Purpose” because He created me with a plan in mind. A purpose that only I could fulfill. I didn’t just pop into existence. I was as we all are intentionally, specifically, and uniquely created in God’s image with a unique purpose and plan for our lives.
That is our core, our spirit, the heart and essence of who we are. King David lets us see that God knows us inside and out before we were in our mothers’ womb. Listen to his words:
“For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works;
my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them,
the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.”
Psalm 139:13-16English Standard Version (ESV)
But why?
Everywhere I look in the Bible the answer is the same: To bring glory to God.
But why?
In my search, I have found THE only answer: Love. At every turn in all circumstances, the answer goes directly to Love.
It starts with God’s love for us. Creating us in His image with His glory that we could be in a relationship with Him. He to us. We to Him.
But He didn’t stop there.
He loved us so much that even though man chose the temptations of this world God created a bridge, He paid the price of redemption for those who choose to accept.
This is what Jesus says:
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”
John 3:16-17 NIV
For me, I have found that “LOVE” is my “WHY.” His unconditional abiding love for me and my deep love for Him.
When we tap into God’s love we gain the “WHY” in our lives. A why that is so powerful and personal that we have the very thing that can carry us through the deepest valley, that darkest struggle, and to the highest mountain.
Why? There are purposes and a story greater than just ourselves for which we get to have an integral part. That story is God’s extreme and incredible love for all mankind.
The “WHY” comes from the creator who created the universe and all that is within it including you and I. The “WHY” is rooted in God Himself and His spectacular plan for mankind to spend eternity with Him. It is a relationship with our Creator, Heavenly Father, the “Alpha and Omega”, for those that choose to accept His love, grace, and mercy.
This is a love given freely even when we don’t get it right. When we sometimes miss the mark and take our eyes off the “WHY”. Even then God’s love, wisdom, and strength is always available. It is ours for the taking.
The key is to stop, take a deep breath and consider the “WHY” of this day in my life. It instantly sets my heart, mind, and focus on my Heavenly Father and His love for me that determines my what and how for that day.
God is there to guide, inspire, empower, encourage, restore, love, and protect the very core of who we are. We have the Holy Spirit dwelling in our hearts we can tap into for guidance, strength, and wisdom.
Knowing that God will always be there to remind us that He not only has a purpose for our lives but equipped us to fulfill that plan. The hopes and dreams He sets in our hearts for us to explore and embrace.
But there are times that we flounder not sure of what or why. We sometimes feel the battles we face are so much bigger than we can bear. There are times we get complacent without focus and direction. We need to remember that God is with us even in the ashes of struggle and pain to give us strength and power to fulfill our hopes and dreams.
We need to go back to “WHY.” It’s invaluable in every area of our lives. Why are we spending time doing this? Why are we going there? Why… really is the key.
We need to begin our day centered, focused, and intentionally determined to allow our “why” to be the foundation of our day. When we do our what and how will follow. Our thoughts, words, and actions will be consistent with who we are at our core.
Today can you ponder the “WHY” in your life?