One of the first questions toddlers ask is “Why?” There is something inside all us that understands the importance of the ‘why’ question.
But toddlers grow up and parents are often relieved when the “Why mommy?” dialogues end. This is unfortunate. To ask why is to seek the motivation or driving force behind an action, event or result. It often takes more effort to determine the ‘why’ than it does the ‘who’, the ‘what’, the ‘when’ and the ‘where’. Is this perhaps the reason ‘why’ questions become less frequent?
So what?
Universal questions are often ‘why’ questions. Questions like “Why am I here?” and “Why did this happen to me?” come to mind. Here’s the interesting thing: When humans seek to answer the really BIG ‘why’ questions, the route they take always starts at a fork in the road.
That fork? Our worldview. It predictably determines which arm of this fork we take. If we believe reality is the result of a long series of random events, we set off on one path. However, if we believe reality is the product of intelligent design, we clearly take a divergent path.
Each path leading from this fork has implications – implications that are accepted to a large extent on the basis of faith. By faith, I mean that both paths are missing empirical evidence. Travelers down either path must, at some point, leap across gaps in information, believing that when the evidence is finally revealed, the evidence will show the wisdom of their choice. It is important to note that these two paths are mutually exclusive – they cannot both be correct.
Why your worldview matters
What’s at risk here? At risk is both the quality and quantity of life itself.
First, making the wrong choice may mean we live well below our human potential. Second, we may discover too late, that earthly life was our one and only opportunity to find another life – one that extends across eternity. The risk is not just that we might squander one short lifetime, but that we might completely miss out on another infinitely long lifetime.
Two thousand years ago, a Jewish rabbi named Yeshua spoke these words, “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10)