the What, How, and Why

Just yesterday, I was sitting in an Intervarsity leaders meeting with so many things on my mind, that it was a bit difficult to focus on the meeting at hand.  We were talking about a way we could more effectively share our faith to others.

Instead of talking about WHAT we do (read the Bible, pray, stay in community with others), and HOW we do it (as much as we can between school & work), talking about WHY we do it might be a more effective way to be witnesses of our faith.  It was not until much later that day that this concept began to sink in...I also realized how broken relationships and even bitterness can stem from this simple concept.

If you think about it, those in your family (whether nuclear or not) are probably the ones who bring you the most joy and the most heartache.  The ones you spend the most time around.  The ones who influence and impact those major decisions in your life.  The most likely know WHAT you do on a daily basis, and HOW you do it...the various habits and mannerisms in which you go about your daily activities.  But do they know WHY you do those things??

This hit home for me (no pun intended), as I realized that this may be one the core sources of contention between me and my dad.  See, he definitely knows WHAT I do on a daily basis, and he definitely knows HOW I do things.  He even tries to change the way I prefer to do things.  But I'm not entirely sure he knows WHY I do the things that I do.

In six words, the core behind all my actions are summed up in this one motto: "Living in response to God's love."  Without that, everything is meaningless!  That's right, meaningless!!  All the people I meet, all the meetings and events I attend, the strangers I give food to, my priorities and hobbies....are all my response to God's love for me!

Without the WHY, all the WHAT's and HOW's are scrutinized and subject to change.  However, with the WHY at the core of the WHAT and HOW, they are held stable.

Moral of the story?  Let people know WHY you do the things you do...for THAT is the core of everything.  The next step for me?  Well, that would be to let my father know WHY I do the things I do.  If we're on the same page, great!  If not, well that'll just open another can of worms!