The Value of WHY

I was so mad. I couldn’t believe they had the nerve to say that to me. Who did they think they were? What was most frustrating was that no matter how hard I tried I couldn’t shake the angst I felt after the conversation. I couldn't shake it because they were right. When I started to ask myself WHY I felt the way I did, I didn’t care for the answer WHY revealed.

WHY is one of the most valuable questions in our vocabulary.

I’m not talking about the value of asking others, "WHY,"  I’m talking about the value of asking ourselves, "WHY."

Scripture is filled with emphasis on the examination of our hearts, minds, and lives as a regular rhythm in the Christian life. We’re to examine ourselves to insure that our faith is genuine (2 Cor.13:5), to examine our hearts prior to taking communion (2 Cor.11:28-34), and to test our own work (Gal.6:4).

This is the reason WHY is such a valuable question for you and I. WHY reveals what's really going on in our hearts. More often than not we are far more concerned with WHAT we do, rather than taking the time to ask ourselves the all important WHY.

“WHY do I feel the way I feel?”

“WHY do I think the way I think?”

“WHY do I do the things I do?”

Rather than fixating on the WHAT today - the emotion, the thought, the behavior - take some time and ask yourself, "WHY?" My guess is, WHY will reveal some deficiency in your faith.

Somewhere your identity is not in Christ’s finished work. Somewhere your value is being derived from the approval of others, rather than the approval of God. Somewhere Jesus is not sufficient for you.

Of course, there are still feelings to combat, thoughts to capture, and behaviors to change. The difference is, WHY helps you apply the grace of God to the true “WHAT.”

Try it. Take a few minutes today and ask yourself, “Why?”