Why?

Every parent can remember that first question every child asks, “Why?” Often the answer we gave our children had the exact same follow-up question, “Why?” Parents are often so frustrated they respond with “Because I said so” or some other imperative statement. We, from a very young age, begin to question. We search for answers to our questions. These questions are extremely important as they will frame the answers we get. ​

When I was younger, I would listen to self-help gurus that promised to improve my life, my relationships, and my career. That did not work. But like many ideas, you can find pearls of wisdom that can be applied. One particular guru said the questions you ask are the way to guide your mind.

Here is an experiment you can easily do. Now try not to cheat. In the picture below. Find all the items that are yellow. Focus hard.

​Now scroll the picture off of the screen




How many horses were in the paddock? How many ducks are there? Where are the ducks? What kind of boat is on the river bank? Did you even see or notice these in the picture? Typically you are so focused on what you are looking for the obvious is missed. That is why questions are powerful. Our mind is designed to answer the question we are asking.

It was a great lesson for me, It was reinforced every time I repeated this experiment. It really has never failed to amaze me. The point from the guru’s perspective is if you ask questions like Why is my life so bad? Your mind will answer it. If you ask the opposite why is my life so good? You will get those answers also. While I admit it is hard for me to always ask the right questions as my mood and state of mind often reflect the type of question I ask. But I do recognize that if I ask these better questions I will get better answers. 

Here is the other part of the problem. We may not like the answer. We need to be willing to follow the answers and accept the conclusions. But we are crafty people. We realize that and will ask questions that guarantee we get the answer we want. Admittedly it is hard work but if we ask good questions we will get good answers that can draw good conclusions. 

These are the questions I started to ask that drove me to a deeper Christian faith. Did Jesus live? Did Jesus die? Was His tomb really empty? DId He really Rise from the dead? Why did the Apostles preach the Good News (Gospel) of Jesus’s resurrection to the point of death? Why were the early Christians willing to die rather than say they were not Christians.

While asking “Why” may get you an answer. Ask good questions will help guide your thoughts. Be open to accepting the answers when you get them and follow where they lead. Christianity leaves us with enough evidence to stand up to tough questions.