Mindful Monday #3: What’s Your Why?

“…in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you….” — 1 Peter 3:15, ESV

“What’s your WHY?” is kind of a catch phrase these days. Nietzsche famously said, “He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how.” By this he meant that if your reason for living is strong enough, then almost anything you have to go through to achieve that end is endurable.

In the Christian college that I attended we were constantly reminded that, “All truth is God’s truth, no matter where you find it.” At the time, it seemed as though it was overemphasized, especially since we had restrictions with regard to music, clothing, and certain activities. But as the years have passed I’ve often thought of that saying. It has helped me to realize that God is a part of all of my experiences, religious or not, and the importance of being mindful of Him as I walk through life.

In keeping with this truth, I’d like to repurpose Nietzsche’s “why” from the perspective of our faith. In 1 Peter 3:15 we’re told to always be ready to explain to anyone why we believe what we believe. I think that here in the United States most people rarely give a thought to the “why” of their faith. Most have grown up in the church and have “always” believed. Socrates said, “the unexamined life is not worth living.” We are called to live by faith. Two-thousand years after Jesus’ death and resurrection we don’t have the benefit of seeing Him after His resurrection. We don’t have the opportunity to hear Him preach or watch as he opens the eyes of the blind and raises the dead.

What we do have is a book. And it’s not just any book. The Bible is the story of God’s redemption of the world from beginning to end. In it we can see the Father’s heart, we can hear the voice of Jesus, we can walk the dusty road from Jerusalem to Golgatha, and we can feel the power of the Holy Spirit as He worked in and through the Apostles and those others who followed Christ.

It contains our “why,” and we need to search for it until it is so deeply ingrained in our spirits that it spills out on those around us. Find your why!