A few years ago, my chiropractor at the time was helping me toward greater wellness—principles that, when I applied them, worked well (which is why I’ve returned to applying them again)! Before we began, however, he had me come up with my “big why.”
Just in case you’re unfamiliar with that term, it’s basically a short, concisely worded, “life-mission-statement-type” answer to the question: What’s your long-term motivation?
Knowing the answer to your “big why” guides you in every area of decision making: If it doesn’t propel you toward the “big why,” don’t do it. If it moves you forward on the path toward living out your “big why,” do it!
My Personal “Big Why”
I actually chose a Bible verse to summarize my personal “big why.” After hearing Nancy Leigh DeMoss use this verse in a similar manner, I chose John 17:4, a verse which quotes a prayer that Jesus Himself prayed as He looked back on His life:
“I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do.” (John 17:4, NASB)
This verse is what propels my right choices (though, I often make wrong ones when I don’t keep the “big why” and the big picture in view). This verse and this thought remind me that no matter what vocation, relationship, location, or action I may be presented with, it needs to be filtered through this “big why.” If I can glorify God by the manner in which I produce the outcome and through the outcome itself, then it’s a “go.” If not, I must not allow myself to be distracted by it or to be deterred from living out my personal “big why.”
How Jesus Lived His “Big Why”
Though I’m only on John chapter eight today in my pre-Easter reading of the Book of John, I was reminded of the “big why” principle that guided Christ as He walked through the ups and downs that His life on earth presented Him.
In John 8, Jesus was telling the angry, unbelieving crowd around Him Who He was—not to “defend” Himself (He had nothing to prove!) but because Who He was (and is!) meant that He could set them free from the sins that enslaved their hearts.
Every thought, every word, every action, every motivation for Christ was for the purpose of giving glory to God and being obedient to God. In John 8:28 (NASB), He said, “I do nothing on my own initiative, but I speak these things as the Father taught me.” Every step He took, He took under that guidance of God, allowing Him to live out His “big why,” which was to accomplish the work that God gave Him to do.
So what does that look like for my life and your life today? How do we live out our personal “big why?”
1. Determine your personal “big why.”
You can’t live it out your “big why” if you don’t have one! Select a concisely worded, specific, measurable, attainable summary for why you do what you do. You might actually have several little “big whys”: one for work, one for relationships, one for your finances, etc. But the one to start with is the one that will be the overall motivating factor for all areas of your life—the one that encompasses everything!
I must add here that this should be your “big why,” not what your mama or your daddy or your friends or your boss or anyone else chooses for you (though, of course, the input of their wisdom in your life is invaluable when making major life choices). If your motivation is pleasing others rather than doing what God skilled you to do, in the end, you will most likely fail at accomplishing what you’re here to do. Period.
2. Write down your “big why” and memorize it.
Though determining your “big why” is good, having it well-established in your heart and mind (and written in a prominent location where you can easily reference it when needed) will make it more likely for you to actually apply it to your life choices.
3. Begin to apply your “big why” to all of your choices—both large and small!
Should I apply for this job? (“Will it help me to accomplish my ‘big why?'”) Should I continue in this relationship? (“Will it help me to accomplish my ‘big why?'”) Should I make this choice in this moment? (“Will it help me to accomplish my ‘big why?'”)
Though at first it sounds confining to have to filter every single thing you do through some “out there” reason for doing it or not doing it, it’s actually very freeing. If it doesn’t propel you forward, you know the answer is “no,” and you get to move on without wasting valuable moments of a quickly fleeting life on something that will rob you of time, energy, and joy because it’s not helping you to accomplish your overall motivating factor! But if it is moving you toward what motivates you, you’ll not be constrained with worry, the need to please anyone but God by your choice, or fear of whether or not you should be investing time, energy, and resources into the decision you’ve made!
I encourage you to take a few minutes today to take action on these three simple—though potentially life-altering—steps and start (or continue) living out your personal “big why!”
Lord, in my secular work, in my sacred work; in my home, outside my home; in my thoughts, in the words and actions they produce may I choose to be guided by a desire to give You glory by the motivation behind it all!
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Image courtesy of Stuart Miles/ FreeDigitalPhotos.net
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John chapter seven records an event in which, because of their preconceived belief, disbelief, or curiosity in the actions of Jesus, people were gathered together, discussing His possible motives for healing the man at the pool of Bethesda (as recorded in John 5). Their comments were filtered through one of those three categories. The way they “heard” Him affected the way things “appeared” to be.