why

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Knowing Why Really Helps Us Make Decisions

There are times when you are presented with something and you only have one response – WHY? 

knowing why really helps us make decisions

It’s because whatever you’re presented with doesn’t make sense or it provides no help or purpose.

The other day I was handed a ham sandwich (that was delicious, by the way). In the sandwich, along with the ham and the lettuce, there was cheese. The particular variety of cheese in the sandwich was brie. 

As I was eating the sandwich, I asked my wife, Lily, what kind of cheese it was. When she told me, I said, “Why would they bother to put that cheese in the sandwich? It doesn’t have any taste.” 

Some may say that the cheese added texture to the sandwich, but really it didn’t make any difference to the sandwich whatsoever. 

I like to know the reason why people do things or why something is the way it is. In fact, it is always good to know the reason why … although one can get carried away. 

I once was trapped in a car with a five year old asking his father question after question without stopping. This boy’s questions were random, concerning everything his eyes gazed on inside and outside the car we were traveling in. 

When the child asked his dad why the sky was blue, I realized then that I was not the only one in the car who was tired of the incessant questions. 

The boy’s father answered him, “Just because, Richard; just because!”

And, with that, the questions stopped. 

I couldn’t help but think, “Why didn’t he give that kind of answer to the third question instead of the 20th?!” 

There is something inside us that wants to know why – why things exist, why we do things that way. 

I remember hearing a story about a woman who always cut off the end of the roast when she put it in the roasting pan. Her daughter grew up and one day asked her mom why she cut the end off the roast. Her mom answered, “I do it because that is how my mother cooked it.” 

So they asked Gramma why she used to cut off the end of the roast before putting it in the oven. Gramma replied, “because it was too big for my pot”. 

It’s good to know why; it helps us make decisions. 

This past week we rented a car while travelling. They gave us two sets of keys. When they handed me the keys, they were joined together by a wire that would require wire cutters or a bolt cutter to separate. 

We got two sets of keys but could only use them as one. 

If they didn’t want us to separate the keys, why not just give us one set? If we lost one, we’d lose both. 

Personally, one set fit better in my pocket than two. Having two car keys was a pain. 

I saw absolutely no reason to keep those keys together.

When I asked the guy at the rental counter, he didn’t really have an answer. He just shrugged his shoulders and gave me a wry smile. 

… Maybe he should ask his grandmother. 

Here’s the thing: There are many things in this world that we do not have the answer to. We don’t know the why. But we do know why Christ came to this world and gave His live for our sins. It’s because He loves us. We should remember that “why” when we think of our response to Christ and His offer of salvation. 

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What “why” question is bugging you right now? Leave your comments and questions below.

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Why Your Sleep May Be Interrupted

Since the new year I have not slept that well, and now I know why.

why your sleep may be interrupted

You would think that with a new year everything restarts, that at midnight on January 1 we hit the reset button … unless you stayed up into the new year and, in that case, the reset happened when your head hit the pillow.

And that is the very culprit of my poor start to 2021 – my pillow.

Pillows are an important part of your sleep technology, according to Sleep Country. But since they are in the business of selling you mattresses and pillows, maybe we should take that idea with a grain of salt.

Yet my pillow is driving me nuts. 

When it’s on the bed, before I climb in, it looks so good, fluffy, lying there inviting me to lay my head down on it. 

But as soon as my head presses into the pillow, it collapses into nothing. 

It’s like in the old cartoons when they were trying to catch a lion. They would dig a hole and then cover it to look like it was just the jungle floor. 

The unsuspecting lion would come along in all his glory and walk confidently over the spot. The covering would collapse and he would fall into the pit. 

When I put my head on my pillow, it’s like my head falls ten stories to the mattress below. At least it is a mattress down there and not a cement floor.

So I’ve been crunching up my pillow to give it some substance. Then, of course, as soon as I move, that soft bolder I’ve created loses its shape and bang, down to the mattress my head falls again. 

As a result, my neck has been a little sore during the night. It’s also causing problems with cutting off circulation to my arms. 

It can be frightening to be half asleep and realize you can’t feel your left arm. And when you fling that half dead arm from under your chest you have to lie still to wait until all those pins and needles leave your appendage before you can move again to a more comfortable position. 

That’s why my condition is serious and it is also causing me to dream more. 

At the beginning of a new year it is good to dream, to dream of what you want to accomplish in the new year, dream about projects you want to start, or things you want to stop. 

But the dreams I’ve been having are disjointed, wild and they don’t make sense. They do nothing but make me restless and cause me to wake up feeling unrested after my night’s sleep.

I’m only a couple of days into the new year and already I’m wondering when this year will be over … and I’m not even thinking about all the COVID issues that are still ahead of us. 

So I’ve made a plan, and I’ve already executed it. This morning I stole a pillow from our spare bedroom. 

We will see if I sleep better tonight. 

Here’s the thing: In the beginning of a new year, we can feel restless for a number of reasons. One way to deal with that restlessness is to take time to seek God and come up with some goals for the year ahead. Consider what God might want to start or stop. You might find you sleep better too. 

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: How can you start the new year off right? Leave your comments and questions below. 

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