I am a member at Gateway Community Church and yesterday we celebrated our 40th birthday as a church. While this is beautiful and worthy of celebration, the bigger question is: ”If Gateway Church would disappear would it be missed?” Just because there is a history worth of acknowledgement, it is only worth celebrating if it had impact on the community. In the case of Gateway, I would want to say YES, it has had an impact on the community, like many other churches in town.

BUT then the question for us is: does the work that you and I do have an impact on people and communities around us? Are we just punching the clock looking forward to retirement? How often do I hear people say “I want to work for XYZ Co. because they have good retirement and other benefits. While that is important, it seems ridiculous to spend years working in a place that you only chose for it’s benefits. The bigger questions is: what impact does your work have? What legacy do you leave for the next generation? Is the world a better place because you are in it? What is your WHY?

Many years ago as I wrestled with the big WHY, I chose Micah 6:8 “to act justly to love mercy and to walk humbly with God“. In all those years when I struggle with decisions, when I can’t seem to find the right place, I would go back to my “WHY” and it would make the process of deciding easier.

What is the why in your life? What makes you do what you are doing, live the life you are living? What is it that makes you get up in the morning? We all have to determine our why. We all need to find the center in this life that runs so fast. Otherwise it seems like we are just being rushed along in a sea of activities. If you know your why, then you are able to swim against the tide, even if you are alone. If you know your why, the decisions you have to make become easier.

Gateway Church’s why: “Gateway is made up of ordinary people from the community, committed to growing in love for Christ, each other and the community.” A clear why.

What is your why?