Thinking about the Big Five Questions In Life
The Big Five Questions In Life: And You
This content starts with an article of the same name by Stephen Graves, Owner, Coaching by Cornerstone, published on November 8, 2018. Then I switch and share my answers to the 5 questions. The emphasis is to share not prescribe answers to you. I will attempt to explain how my answers evolved and took final shape in my life - though some answers, like many other people, are "works in progress".
The big 5 questions Stephen begins with are:
- Where did I come from?
- Who am I?
- Why am I here?
- How should I live?
- Where am I going?
I suggest you read his short stimulating article here, before proceeding below.
A good start to these tough questions is to consider a few humourous and serious definitions of life (or life as it should be) - some quoted by Stephen Graves.
"Of all the things I've lost in life, I miss my mind the most." - Unknown
"When life hands you a lemon, learn how to make lemonade. (or go cut down the tree)" - Unknown
“Life is like an onion. You peel it off a layer at a time and sometimes you weep.”- Carl Sandburg
“When I’m lost, I just look in your eyes. You show me the meaning of life.”- Kelly Clarkson
“The sole meaning of life is to serve humanity.”- Leo Tolstoy
“Life is continuously being hungry.”- Arnold Schwarzenegger
What are my answers to the Big 5?
The search for me, like others, began in my early teens, reading about Eastern mysticism and various religions and writers.
At the age of 16, the direction and meaning of my life began to evolve during a series of seemingly unconnected events - which included an invitation by an "old dude" doing youth work. The invitation was to read the Bible with a small daily reading and contemplation book. I reluctantly agreed, because this "dude" really cared for the youth and so I took the plunge - but secretly because I grew up in a non-Christian home.
A key tool in this pilgrimage was a journal - which I started in a small notebook - with no one telling me that I just made a "discovery of the ages". I wrote quotes, my questions, thoughts, emotions, poems, drawings, and more scribbles.
Question 1: Where did I come from?
In my intellectual simplicity, I discovered there was and is a Great Designer that created me. A Designer who loved me and took the time out of a busy schedule to come to earth and get involved in the life and struggles of humanity, and eventually make a way, through His death and resurrection, for me to be reconciled to God.
Question 2: Who am I?
After my search, the day came when I made my decision to become a disciple of Jesus Christ. This was on 9 June 1973, a day known as my rebirth (Gospel of John 3: 3-5).
My knowledge of the Old and New Testament Scriptures accelerated, which led me to many new questions and new answers. The one question was about "Who am I?".
There were a vast number of answers but the one that stood out from the "rebirth" experience, was that I was a "new creation" - born into a new life, yet evolving through a new way of living.
"Whoever is a believer in Christ is a new creation. The old way of living has disappeared. A new way of living has come into existence." 2 Corinthians 5:17 GW
Question 3: Why am I here?
The answer to this question evolves naturally out of the previous question and will be short and sweet.
The short answer is in the words of Jesus, "to Love":
‘Love the Lord God with all your heart, all your passion, all your energy, and your every thought. And you must love your neighbour as yourself.’ Matthew 22:37-40 The Passion Translation
The longer answer is that each individual human also has a personal destiny, within the intent to love. Part of our life task is to listen for guidance and learn from trial and error where and how we should harness our talents. We each have genius and we are responsible to find or create the space to "make it work".
Question 4: How should I live?
The behavioural code is determined by the law of love as stated above and given some flesh in the 1st letter to the church at Corinth that Paul was pastoring, remotely.
4) Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
5) It does not dishonour others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, and it keeps no record of wrongs.
6) Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
7) It always protects, always trusts, always hopes always perseveres.
8) Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.
13) And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. Read 1 Corinthians 13:1-13
Question 5: Where am I going?
You are probably not going to like this one if you are not a believer. You may just see me as arrogant and self-righteous. But let me first state the destination and then explain the "why".
My destination, by grace, is a New Heaven and a New Earth. 2 Peter 3:13
The new birth brought me into the family of God and made me a child of God through the free gift of God's grace in Christ. This is clearly not my own doing, but a simple act of humble acceptance of His kind gift of forgiveness and reconciliation.
What about you and the 5 Big Questions?
I said I was not to be prescriptive.
However, I would like you to carefully consider where you are right now, how you got here and what lies ahead.
An Invitation
If God is speaking to you, don't mess around. Just say yes and give God a chance in your life.
After saying yes, I suggest:
- Going over all the Scriptures I referred to. This will become a solid foundation for your new discipleship journey.
- Downloading and reading the FREE booklet below.
- Starting Discipleship training through FREE courses, videos and much more [here on our website ASAP]...
Welcome to the family and thanks for reading this long article ;)