Why…The Ultimate Clarifying Question of Personal Growth

Just talk to any parent and they will tell you they have been bombarded with the question, “Why?” Little children constantly ask that question. There are days that every conversation, instruction, explanation, or clarification invokes a “Why?”

So “Why” then do we as adults tend to stop asking “Why?” Why do we leave our curiosity unsatisfied or instructions unclarified? More importantly, “Why” do we not ask the important questions to clarify the foundation of our relationship with Christ?

We long to be independent, to be individuals, and then we acquiesce to the status quo without questioning “Why?” I am not suggesting a stubbornness or abstinence. I am advocating a thirst for personal knowledge, a desire to know more than the “what” and the “how” of a matter.

Simply knowing “what to do” or “how to do” will prove insufficient when pressures arise or our schedule demands increase. External motivation may serve as an initiator or even a form of encouragement, but it is not adequate in itself to keep us faithful.

Answering the ultimate clarifying question of the “Why” reveals true motivation. The reality is our personal growth should originate from our love for the Savior, which changes the discussion from requirement to relationship.

Knowing that the “Why of personal growth” is about building my relationship with God causes me to function with a different set of dynamics. Let me illustrate:

• If my personal growth is based on the “What” and the “How,” then:
  • It is about requirements.
  • It is about meeting a standard.
  • It is about a checklist.
  • It is about concepts others define for me.
• If my personal growth is based on the “Why,” then:
  • It is about my relationship.
  • It is about my personal walk.
  • It is about pursued accountability.
  • It is about personally exploring and discovering God.

“Why” is The Ultimate Clarifying Question of Personal Growth because it penetrates to the heart. “Why” causes us to look beyond our routines, rituals, or requirements to the core of our souls. “Why” forces us to answer a question we only truly want to confront when the answer is love.

Have you answered the “Why” question of your own personal growth?

Are you still asking the “Why” questions about life and ministry?

If not, WHY?