Who am I? What am I here for? If you can’t answer that you’re just dust in the wind.
~Kerry Livgren, Guitarist, songwriter, & co-founder of Kansas
Of all life’s big questions, one of the most frequently asked is about purpose. When you’re speaking with someone, it’s probably safe to assume that they’ve thought about it. Perhaps even more importantly, it’s also safe to assume that some people don’t want to think about it because they’re running from God.
Better than assuming, of course, is to ask them. Ask something like, “Why do you think we’re all here?”
And just listen.
Then probe with more questions. Explore beyond what they think to why they think it.
And just listen.
You may not get to whip out a logic argument on them like, “If there is no God, there is no purpose and life is ultimately meaningless.” In fact, you probably shouldn’t!
But you certainly can, as Greg Koukl likes to say, leave them with a pebble in their shoe that bugs them with each step they take. And even if they never answer, they can’t un-hear what you asked when you simply query, “Why do YOU think we’re all here?”
Roger Courville, CSP is a globally-recognized expert in digitally-extended communication and connection, an award-winning speaker, award-winning author, and a passionately bad guitarist. Follow him on Twitter -- @RogerCourville and @JoinForTheHope – or his blog: www.forthehope.org.