The five most powerful questions in the world

Today is August 1, 2009. It's Switzerland's national day. It's also the first day I woke up with a renewed hunger in my heart for God's wisdom. It's fair to say that I'm always questioning, and discovery is THE best part of any given day. The five most powerful questions in the world are:

Who, What, Why, When and How.

Simple isn't it?

Every person on this planet is trying to figure out their position and meaning as it relates to others and to the material world, aren't they? Self-help books on How to -fill in your own blanks- abound. It would be perfect if only for the fact that humans will follow the rules of any given self-help book until it becomes inconvenient. And inconvenient, it promises to be if not now, eventually. What are we inundated with?

How to be a great leader.
How to be successful.
How to be good in bed.

Wouldn't we all want to know how we can live a satisfying life, with a good reputation, to have good health and always enough on our plates? Wouldn't anyone want to be shown the best way to live? We all want that, but often on our own terms. I am such an example. The best way to live is not to follow another but to journey with one who will love and live through these experiences with me. I've journeyed with a few people who were there with me for parts of the journey, but only with Jesus have I experienced love and living in an intimate space called "My Life". You might be thinking, oh...Jesus freak, but I'd have to say, I'm really far from that. I'm too rational to be one. I am however, asking him a lot of questions from some of the promises I found in the Bible. I'd ask other religious leaders too, but for now, I'll ask Jesus:

What do you mean by giving me abundant life? How does that look like? (John 10)
You offer long life, riches and honour, guidance and satisfaction in you. (Prov 3) How can I commit to wanting that all the time, and always choosing your way?

It occurred to me a key verse in Proverbs 3: 5-6

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, do not depend on your own understanding.
Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take."

Life, it seems, is a twisty, windy, multiple choiced variety of variations. From my viewpoint, there are three paths: what looks right to me, what looks wrong to me and the third possibility, which is the hidden path I cannot see and possibly never even considered! Every day, and several times in the day, I find myself asking Jesus, "What now? Or How do we do this? Or When will it happen? Or Who will be the one? Why can't that happen?"

Do you ask? Whom do you ask? I like asking Jesus because He's engaged with me in the nitty gritties of my life. He knows me. He knows me well and He used to lead me to places I didn't want to go. That was in my younger days where I decided to take him to places I'd rather be. After years of him letting me lead, I found out I was going in circles and not being really happy where I was. He allowed me that, you know. He did tell me that really wasn't what he would've wanted for me. He leads me today to the places I am curious why He wants me there. And in following His lead, I've discovered the path of submission and the joy of being directed to love others.

Why?

Because He loves me. How can a dead guy love me? How can I even sense He loves me? I guess in the same way I put to test how anyone who says they love me, actually love me. Here's one:

"A gentle answer deflects anger, but harsh words make tempers flare." Prov 15:1

How many of us have tested that? Why would this be in the Bible? Let me be honest. I never had to learn the second half of this verse. I am living proof that I can make tempers flare with harsh words! But the first half about giving a gentle answer? Wow. I do that and I get a discussion instead of a screaming match. Is it possible that God wants the best for us, to live in harmony despite being very different from each other? What a notion!

To be continued...