Daily Self Growth Journal

The "Why"

“The genius of this nation is not in the least to be compared with that of the Prussians, or Austrians, or French. You say to your soldier, do this, and he does it, but here, I am obliged to say, this is the reason why you aught to do that, and then he does it.” Baron Von Steuben

Whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom will be delivered. Proverbs 28:26

Wiredrawn: “Finely spun; extremely intricate; minute.” Dictionary.com

Barron Von Steuben was a Prussian officer who came to the colonies to train American soldiers during the American Revolution; and to be honest, I'm not positive I know what he was implying in his statement, as seen in today's quote. But I'm going to take it as a compliment to the American soldiers he was trying to train. Skills based on knowledge and reason produce sustainable abilities that are tangible and able to be passed on. For example, one may be the best aircraft mechanic in the world, when it comes to accomplishing certain tasks on an airframe. They may be able to follow instructions meticulously and know how to accomplish prescribed actions flawlessly; never fully knowing the reasons for doing them. But if they can learn the “why” behind their actions they'll be better able to predict problems, find innovative solutions, and teach new generations to be self sufficient in their responsibilities. In a lot of ways I believe Christianity is much the same. The cornerstone of Christianity is our relationship with God, but belief without knowledge can become cumbersome and easily doubted when obstacles appear. As believers, we would be well served to not only live by faith, but also seek knowledge of what we have faith in; so that, at the very least we will be effective apologists and able represent our beliefs in a convincing way. While God promises the aid of His Holy Spirit to His believers, He gave us His word for a reason. In no way is knowledge a requirement for a relationship with God, but a loving relationship with our Creator precipitates a desire for knowledge of Him. I don't believe any of us can fully understand the wiredrawn concepts of Christianity and salvation, but like a loving spouse continually studies how to better understand their mate, a faithful Christian can also seek to know more about their faith, without expecting to fully understand the intricacies of God.

Daily Journaling Questions:

How did I help someone in kindness today?

What did I learn today?

What am I thankful for?

Who did I love today?

What about today do I want to remember forever?

What are my goals for tomorrow?

Thank you for reading,

Jake