There was a rabbi who found himself wandering the empty streets of a Russian city early one morning. His rambling walk reflected the state of his heart and mind—many questions, few answers.

In some despair, paying little attention to his surroundings, he strolled upon a Russian military compound off limits to civilians.

“Who are you? What are you doing here?” a voice demanded from the darkness.

The rabbi, shocked, remained silent.

More insistently, “Who are you? What are you doing here?” the deep voice repeated.

The rabbi, now stunned out of his quiet contemplations, remained silent.

“Who are you? …

What are you doing here?”

Finally, the rabbi responded respectfully, “What do they pay you?”

“Whatever it is, I’ll pay double if you’ll come to my house and ask me those same questions every morning.”

These questions motivate every human life. “Who am I? Why am I here?” At times, their influence is very subtle—behind the scenes. Other times these questions are so loud that they demand our full energy and focus. We can push the questions down and ignore their voice, but exclusive to the human journey is this reality: God has implanted these questions in every human being and they will direct our path.

The ONE Journey starts here: surface the questions. It is important to note that if these questions remain unanswered, we will struggle. If we have settled for half-truths around these two important questions, we will feel off. But when we learn the practice of hearing from God and aligning our lives holistically around God’s unique and personal answers, we will experience freedom.

Start by asking them of yourself and notice what comes to mind. Be honest. If the answer is “I have no idea!” then it’s important to note that.

If the answer to “Who are you?” and “What are you doing here?” used to be clear for you but now feels distant or hazy, write that down—it’s so important to become aware of how these questions show up for you right now.

These aren’t easy questions and the discovery of the answers is the journey of a lifetime. We can lean in or lean out—either way, as humans, we’re all on the same journey together.

Today, let’s lean in.

Write down what comes to mind as you ask yourself:

“Who am I? What am I doing here?”

Now let’s ask Jesus His perspective on it.

“Jesus, who am I?”

“Jesus, what am I doing here?”

If anything comes to mind that seems disappointing, confusing or unclear, notice it and ask Jesus directly about it now.

Remember that the voice of God will come to your mind in the same way you already think.

It will come quickly to you as you ask God questions. God’s voice will sound kinder and more loving than your own voice.

God planted these questions in us because the greatest gift God could give us is the discovery of the answer. This discovery of a lifetime is for your joy and God’s glory.

Coming soon, you are invited to journey further with us through the ONE Journey as we pursue what it means to lead our lives from connection to God.

‍