A common thread weaves in and out of every human being on the face of this planet; drawing us all together into a sewn piece of handiwork that longs for something more than surface-level interest. There is an itching curiosity, like bugs crawling under our skin, to know for a fact what the meaning of our existence is, what is orchestrating the rhythms of the universe, and how we are meant to spend our days. Humanity is on a boat and is longing to see what is contained in the stomach of the ocean while our vision is limited to simply seeing other boats bobbing on the surface.
Behind every eye is the search for something more than mediocre television programming and corny pornographic literature. It can be assumed that porn is a surface-level interest and is a symptom to a deeper need for intimacy. Behind every ear is the pressing curiosity to hear something more than the latest celebrity news or the bantering of politicians. We like to listen to politicians fight with each other. It is entertaining and frustrating at the same time. It is this surface-level interest that is a symptom of our deeper need to feel connected to something important. Behind every mouth is the longing for conversation that consists of something more than sports scores or fancy cars. Our surface level interest in fancy cars acts as a symptom of our need to feel looked upon as people who have a lot to offer.
Deep inside every breathing, eating and sleeping human being is more than a simple want for something more, but a need for the answers to the deepest and most pressing questions addressing the meaning of our existence. This kind of need is not like our need for food to survive. When we are going to sleep at night on an empty stomach, it is easy to will ourselves to sleep when we know that we can fix ourselves a bowl of cereal in the morning. When we are lying in our beds at night and we are thirsty, we can allow ourselves to rest knowing that we can fix ourselves a cup of water when we wake up. Our inherent search for something more than surface-level interest is different. Sometimes we toss and turn at four in the morning because we have internally asked ourselves questions like, “Why were we born into our current situation while others were born into worse situations?” It is a whole lot harder to go to sleep knowing that the answers to our questions do not necessarily come in the morning like a bowl of cereal or a cup of water.
What does knowing about this inherent need mean for the mass population of the global community? For followers of Jesus, it means that there is a greater call to provide the hope that we have as an answer to the wrenching longing in the souls of the searching. This means moving conversations beyond corny pornographic novels and topics of bickering politicians and fancy cars toward providing the fulfilling message to those in need of the answer to the question that everyone is feeling and some are verbally asking, ”Why are we here?”
