Some of the most trying years as a parent are when your kids are toddlers, so why do I advocate for becoming a toddler again? The answer is summed up in a single word. That word is “why.”
As a father of three, I can honestly say I have had to answer the question (or a variant) “Daddy, why is… why does…?” no less than 37,582 times.
My daughters were trying to understand the world they were experiencing.
To them, they did not understand why we did certain things, or why we ate certain foods, or why the world is the way it is.
Live In Wonder And Question Everything
When was the last time you wondered like a toddler?
Do you know why the sky is blue?
Do you know why we “have to go to school?”
Why do we need to leave home to go to work?
Why do we have to get dressed up to go to church or work?
Why do we need to drink our milk? Why do we drink cow milk?
Why? Why? Why?
Do you question what you do each day or do you mindlessly go through your day doing what you do?
For many of us, our lives have become like the Ronco Rotisserie, we set it and forget it.
The Unexamined Life
Socrates is credited with saying, “The unexamined life is not worth living.”
Life is precious and is worth living but we will miss out on a worthwhile life if we ingest everything we are told without examination.
A life that is unexamined is a surface life. It will be tossed and turned by the events of the day.
When we examine our lives and see the deeper truth we are living, we will be able to withstand the surface storms.
Find out why you are on earth.
As Mark Twain is credited with saying, “The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.”
Ask why you are here.
Finding Your Why
When you find “your why”, life will start making more sense than ever before.
When you find your purpose, it allows you to look back at the mountain top and valley experiences you have lived through and provide perspective.
There have been books that helped me on my journey to understanding why God put me on this planet.
The first is Scripture itself. I know that Ephesians 2:10(ESV) tells us “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” I looked at what God has brought me through and how those experiences could help me serve.
The second is a book by Gary Barkalow “It’s Your Call: What Are You Doing Here?*.
I first met Gary while I was going through an online course more than nine years ago. As part of the course, we read his book and worked through our own journey. We wrote up our story and shared it with Gary who then helped us pull out themes to help us see what is calling could be.
I can not speak any more highly about Gary’s book. For me it was transformative.
I challenge you to find your why.
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