The message of Christianity begins like this: In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. This place of beginning means our message has implications for the entire world. The message is not merely a matter of what we believe as if what we believe is not connected to reality. Instead, our belief has implications for the whole universe. What we believe, in the words of Ravi Zacharias answers life’s questions of origin, meaning, morality, and destiny. When I am tucking my children in at night, they always have the most profound questions. Every one of their questions begins the same way, “Daddy, why…? Usually, the question is not, “Daddy, what…?, but “Why?” It isn’t enough for them to know that a thing is, they want to know why a thing is – they want to know as much as they can know. “What?” allows them to see a thing. “Why?” allows them to see through a thing. They want to see through a thing because they were made to see beyond seeing.
How do you view the world? Is your view of the world informed by reality? What makes life worth living is finding out what life is all about. There has been much heartache during our current pandemic. Many lives have been lost as both a direct and indirect result of the coronavirus. One good that has come in my experience is to slow the pace, take a breath, and enjoy every moment. I recently finished my doctorate, have been in school for the past five or so years without a break. The pandemic hit right when I finished my defense. The emergency orders to shelter-in-place came at the right time for me to be with my wife and kids in an extended way. Through this time of slowing down, I have a new perspective on some things I can live without and other things I simply don’t ever want to be without. It took an interruption in the normal to teach me that much of what I had in my life was filler and unnecessary, I would not have known these things unless I had something to compare it to. In this case, it is pre-COVID19, life during COVID19, and what will come after COVID19. As I look ahead, I know what I am looking for because I have a new view.