Why?
Why do you do what you do?
This is a question I believe we don’t ask ourselves enough.
Ultimately, as Christians, our faith provides an answer to this vague question.
God should be the center of our lives and no matter our calling, no matter our task. He should be the one that drives it all.
In essence, He is the answer to our “why?”.
Martin Luther King Jr. describes what I believe to be the best answer to “why?” in his sermon, “The Three Dimensions of a Complete Life”:
When I was in Montgomery, Alabama, I went to a shoe shop quite often, known as the Gordon Shoe Shop. And there was a fellow in there that used to shine my shoes, and it was just an experience to witness this fellow shining my shoes. He would get that rag, you know, and he could bring music out of it. And I said to myself, “This fellow has a Ph.D. in shoe shining.”
What I’m saying to you this morning, my friends, even if it falls your lot to be a street sweeper, go on out and sweep streets like Michelangelo painted pictures; sweep streets like Handel and Beethoven composed music; sweep streets like Shakespeare wrote poetry; (Go ahead) sweep streets so well that all the host of heaven and earth will have to pause and say, “Here lived a great street sweeper who swept his job well.”
If you can’t be a pine on the top of a hill
Be a scrub in the valley—but be
The best little scrub on the side of the hill,
Be a bush if you can’t be a tree.
If you can’t be a highway just be a trail
If you can’t be the sun be a star;
It isn’t by size that you win or fail—
Be the best of whatever you are.
The answer to “why?” is in who we serve.
Dr. King’s favorite shoe shiner woke up every morning and set out to be the best shoe shiner he could be.
No matter who you are, God has blessed you immensely.
Maybe it’s with a great talent, maybe it’s with a great personalty, maybe it’s with a great mind.
Why waste it today?
Wake up every morning and strive to be the best you can be.
Let all the host of heaven and earth pause and say, “Here lived a great doctor”, “Here lived a great mother.”, “Here lived a great father.”, “Here lived a great teacher.”, “Here lived a great student.”, “Here lived a great friend.”
Dr. King reminds us that no matter our calling, we are God’s children and that is “why?”.