Answering The Big Questions

Answering The Big Questions

My child, never forget the things I have taught you. Store my commands in your heart. If you do this, you will live many years, and your life will be satisfying. Proverbs 3:1-2

Not long after I opened my practice, Jeff brought his newborn son to me. You might say that Benjamin and I grew up together.

It was a joy to watch him develop. He not only met every milestone; he exceeded them. He was a special child gifted by God with a keen intellect. I looked forward to his visits because there was always something new going on in Benjamin’s mind.

Jeff and his wife were both educators, and they never missed an opportunity to teach their son. When Benjamin came in for appointments, he’d always have a list of questions about biology and medicine. I would take a few minutes to teach him about the nervous system or how the bones in our feet work together.

Benjamin’s most intriguing questions were the ones he started asking as a teenager.

“Dr. Reggie, how do you integrate science with the faith that you’ve learned at church? Sometimes I have trouble when they’re in such opposition to each other.”

I explained how both science and faith set out to answer many of the same questions. How did we get here? Why are we the way we are? What makes us different from others? But science and religion use different approaches to get answers. Science looks at observable data, things that can be measured and replicated. God, on the other hand, can’t be directly observed. What we know about him we learn from Scripture, tradition, and personal experience.

“Science can’t create art or beauty. It can’t fill our souls with meaning and purpose. And though humans can sometimes get religion wrong, God himself is never wrong.”

I explained that Jesus didn’t die on the cross to reconcile us to a scientific theory; he died to reconcile us with our creator. Christian faith was completed on the cross, and it is our identity in Christ that gives us purpose and meaning.

When Benjamin grew up, he became a doctor, and he told me that his career choice was influenced by our early conversations.

“You’re the one who told me there are no conflicts in Christ,” he said.

TODAY’S RX

When we teach the next generation, we can help them avoid the mistakes of the past.

Father, thank you for filling my life with meaning and purpose. I take comfort in knowing that you so intricately made me with gifts, abilities, and interests that I can use and develop as I pursue your plan for my life.