What is your why? And why does that matter? And more Dr. Seuss riddles coming up. Hey friends, my name is Mark, and this is another episode of Shanctification. Thanks for joining us. There's a cool story that's been going around for a long time, and I don't know the validity of it, but it's good. Many, many years ago, the Pope was wandering around, seeing his people, and he was in a rock quarry, and there were two masons banging on rocks, doing the same exact thing. And he asked the first one, hey, what are you doing? And he said, I'm splitting rocks. And then he looked over at the second one and he said, What are you doing? And he said, I'm building a cathedral. There's something powerful about that, isn't there? Because whether we realize it or not, everything we do is driven by a why. Sometimes it's obvious, sometimes it's buried, but it's always there. And if you don't know your why, you'll drift. You'll lose motivation, you'll quit when things get hard. Believe me, I've been there. But when your why is clear, it anchors you, it pulls you forward, it gives meaning to the grind. So let me tell you why I started this podcast. And honestly, it's not just one thing, it's layered. First, I want to reach people who don't know Jesus. Not everybody is walking into a church on a Sunday morning, but they are listening to podcasts on the way to work or on the golf course. If I can meet someone there and point them to the truth, that matters. A lot of people find church intimidating. But if you're on the golf course in a setting that they enjoy, it's a lot easier to talk about Jesus with them there. In fact, I recently got a text from a guy that I play golf with a lot, and he's not a believer. He uh you would know it after about 16 seconds of listening to the words that come out of his mouth and the way he lives. But he's a good dude and we play golf. Um, but he knows how I live and I know how he lives, and we both respect that. But one day out of the blue, he texts me and he wants to have a phone call, and so I call him up and he says, Man, he says, I'm going through a really tough time right now, and I was wondering if you could pray for me. And I said, Of course I can pray for you. And that just kind of blew my mind that I'm having enough of an impact on his life that where he thinks he needs God, that he's got some kind of conduit that he can go to to say, tell me about this God you know. Now, I don't know where that conversation's gonna go after that. Um, maybe I can invite him to church or a Bible study or just open up the word and talk to him a little bit more about the Jesus that I follow. But at least it got the conversation started. If not for me, maybe for somebody else. My second why is I want to leave something behind. Something for my kids, something for my grandkids, so they can listen, not just stories, but truth. Something that says, this is what mattered to me, this is what I believed, these are my highs, these are my lows, this is my brokenness, this is just me opening up and telling you what I learned through my journey. And the third why is just simply for personal growth. This stretches me, this challenges me, it forces discipline, consistency, and creativity. I'm not good at this, this is awkward, but I feel like this is the right thing to do. And trust me, if you don't do a podcast and you spend hours listening to your own voice as you edit these things, it's it's quite humbling. I think there are moments in all of our lives where you feel God nudging you. Maybe not audibly or not dramatically, just a quiet conviction of do this. And you have a choice, ignore it or step into it. This podcast, for me, is a step of obedience. Now let's bring this back to golf because it shows up here too. Why do you play? It sounds like a simple question, but it's not. Some of us play for the competition, we want to win, we want to beat our buddies, uh, we want to score. Some of us play for an escape, the life is loud, stress is constant, and for four hours it just quiets down. Some of us play for connection, time with friends, conversations you don't get anywhere else, meeting new people on the course. There's something about walking a golf course that opens people up. And yes, the golf course is meant to be walked on. And then some play for the challenge because golf is hard, and there's something addictive about trying to figure it out, even though you fully never will. And some play for identity. Let's be honest, this one gets dangerous. When your score determines your mood, your confidence, your worth. And some of us just play for the joy of it, just the simple enjoyment of being outside, hitting a golf ball, and appreciating the moment, not really caring whether we're playing well or not. And here's the real issue though. If your why is weak or misplaced, golf will expose that. If your why is I have to play well, well then what happens when you don't? Or if your why is I need to impress people, then what happens when you embarrass yourself? Or if your why is tied to performance, your joy will rise and fall with every shot. Now, that's pretty exhausting. But the same is true in life. If your why is built on things that shift, like success or approval or comfort, you'll constantly feel unstable. But those things just don't hold up. Trust me, I've tried them. But when your why is rooted in something deeper, something eternal, it changes everything. You can still compete, you can still care, and you can still strive to get better, but you're not crushed when things don't go your way. So here's the challenge. I want you to think about this question and actually answer it. What is my why? Not the surface level answer, not the quick response you gave without thinking, but the real one. Why do you play golf? Why do you work the job you work? Why do you chase the things you chase? And maybe even a little bit deeper, why do you believe what you believe? Why do you follow Jesus or why don't you? Because if you don't define your why, culture will define it for you. Here's an interesting exercise for you. Next time you're on the golf course and you hit a bad shot, ask yourself, why does this bother me? The answer will reveal something. Or after a great round, why does this matter so much to me? Again, you'll start to see what's underneath. A clear why doesn't make things easier, but it makes them meaningful. And meaningful changes everything. Because when you know your why, you don't quit as easily, you don't get shaken as much, you don't lose direction as quickly, you stay anchored. So figure it out. Define it, refine it, live from it. My name is Mark. This is Shantification. And if your ears like this podcast, would you do me a favor and share this? Write me a review. That would be awesome. Until then, keep chasing better.