Why

To be a Christian and to love God you have to know all the whys, correct? I struggled (struggle) with this question just like everyone who has ever lived. We as humans want to understand, want to know, and feel at times we need to know to believe in anything all the "whys". When we get the answer to the whys they have to meet our liking. I believe this search for why was instilled in us by God, I think He wants us to search for higher meaning in things that happen, in things we believe, and in things we do. However I do not believe the answer to that question is always revealed, and at times it is revealed but not to our liking!

As I have struggled through this understanding my uncle explained to me that if I knew all the whys (knew everything about everything) I would be God. I know and he really knows I am not God! Where does that leave me, to be a stupid little child who has to walk around blind not knowing what is happening or why to be lead through life all the time by God and others? No, I think that is ignorant to think we are hopelessly helpless. You don't have to know everything to be able to survive and to believe in God. What you do have to know is how one does get to know God and become one with Him, that way is Jesus, the only way. However, knowing Jesus does not even answer the whys and lead to a completely all knowing relationship. We are not designed to live and to know completely on our own, we are designed to need Him! to need God! to need Jesus!

The Bible refers to us humans as slaves, servants, children... all belonging to God. We are children of God we are servants of God we are slaves to God. Being described in those terms leaves us to believe and know through experience we are not to know everything. In fact Jesus even says the servant does not know the masters work. The truth is we have a loving caring and just master and He loves us more than we can imagine (more on love in my future post). God does not leave us completely blind to His work. I believe that when we need to know He lets us know, when we don't He doesn't. There is plenty that God has let us mere servants in on, plenty to build a belief that can be unshaken, plenty to point us to Him and to Eternity with Him. Where is your focus? Is it on God and what is pointing to Him that you do know? or is it on self and the things you don't know (or can't know) and thus looking to find ways not to believe?

Have you ever met someone who "knows everything"? Think about that person... (hum some of you are picturing yourself ;-) now have you ever tried to explain something to that person or offer help. Many times they don't want it or think they don't need it because they already know it all! Just a thought, but if God let us in on everything where we are at in this World do you think people would draw closer or farther away from Him?

Everything in this life is designed to draw us closer to God, the emptiness you feel at times, the hurt you feel at times, the love you feel at times, the joy, and even the not knowing. You see by not knowing we seek out the One who is knowing (or we should) and we long to be "in the know" as we long to be with the One who is the knowing. I was watching the short documentary on "The Case for Faith" by Lee Strobel last night. In that there are several examples of people who are at a crossroads in life. Each was lead there by something. The first by not knowing he did not know the answers to why there is pain and evil in the world. The next was lead to the crossroads by his 18 month old daughter being ran over by a car driven by his wife and killed. Both were at a crossroads as the second man explained it naked and humbled, fearing and cold. Standing at that crossroads of not knowing why they each had only two choices. Am I going to take this horrible thing in life that I don't know the "why" and use this to draw closer to God or run away from God. Am I going to walk down the road of not knowing and draw closer to the One that is knowing or am I going to go at it alone in my anger of not knowing.

I pray that everyone will take the road that leads closer to the One that is knowing the One that is Love, the One that will suffer right next to you and love you through the pain of hurt and not knowing the why. You see for God to love you He does not have to give you answers, He gives much more He gives Love, He gives us Himself!