The why behind the why…

As coaches we often ask a really annoying question: Why?

Of course we don’t ask it to be annoying, but we do ask it often as we serve the leaders we are coaching. And the reason is not complicated – because often the answer to that question shows us just how clear or unclear the leader is as we dig deeply into an action plan.

Not sure what I mean? I’ll demonstrate using my favorite verse as a enter my work mode each morning: Do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men (Colossians 3:23).

Why is this my preferred verse to get my day going? Let me reference another scripture and then explain: Solomon asks in Ecclesiastes 1:3… What advantage does a man have in all his work which he does under the sun?

According to a seminary President I have studied under, the Hebrew word here for “advantage” is sometimes translated “profit” – it is actually a commercial term referring to the value left over.

In other words, after my life is all over, what is result of my work? Will I receive a just return for my investment? Or is life cheating me? What’s left after all the energy that goes into life is gone? What do we achieve for all our sweat and stress? These are tough questions…

When we coach Life Planning, we see examples of this dilemma all of the time like the businessman trying to build an estate, only to have it reversed and lost… or the homemaker keeping a home intact, only to see a loved one slipping and falling further away… Life is not always equitable, despite our best efforts to dream big, work hard, and never quit.

And so my personal answer lies deep inside the truth that unless I live for the glory of God, and not for men (including myself) I risk climbing a ladder that is leaning up against the wrong wall.

ASK YOURSELF: How can I live so that in my work, at home – in everything – I am able to answer the why behind the why?