Do you think everything happens for a reason?
Yes, I do—that is the essence of my faith in God: every why has a wherefore.
Science is the mother of cause-and-effect thinking—humans find it in everything. The first recorded scientific question in history—”What is the basic material of the universe?”—was asked by the ancient Greek philosopher Thales around 600 BCE. He theorised that everything in nature came from water. Curiously, his presumption came close to what the Bible says: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters” (Genesis 1:1-2).
Science began with asking why—like an apple falling on Newton’s head. Likewise, an abundant life begins with a clear purpose and the plans to fulfill it. Nothing comes from nothing—neither as cause nor as effect. As a cause, we are responsible for our actions, improper actions, or inaction; as an effect, we reap what we sow.
Furthermore, all beginnings are hard—yet the first and fiercest barrier is where the heart lies. A good heart bears good fruit; a wicked one, however, leads to ruin. Has history not spoken for itself? All good things originate from a good heart (Luke 6:45).
In ancient times, the righteous and the wicked met different destinies. As Scripture says: the LORD wiped mankind and other creatures from the earth due to man’s great wickedness and the evil thoughts of their hearts—but Noah and his family were saved, for Noah was righteous and blameless among the people of his time (Genesis 6:5-9). The rise of Israel as a nation came not because they were faithful, but because God remained faithful to His covenant; their fall, however, resulted from their rebellion against Him.
Likewise, Jesus came for a reason: God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. Whoever believes in Him is not condemned (John 3:16-18). Sadly, many will perish due to their disbelief.
Today’s prompt has stirred in me a deeper reflection on my own why. Knowing what is right to do and how to do it right is clever. Yet knowing why I do it comes from wisdom—and that wisdom guides me through an abundant life.
Like snow in summer or rain in harvest, or like a fluttering sparrow or a darting swallow—do we ask why (Proverbs 26:1-2)? Global warming—why? Do we not see how human actions cause adverse climate consequences? A curse does not come without reason.
May Scripture and the poem below stir in you a deeper reflection on your own why.
—
✨ Of Good and Evil ✨
A single spark can set the world ablaze—
Yet none but human error fans the flame.
Life’s triumph springs from toil through weary days—
No fault, if diligence has earned its name.
Good and evil—each effect has its root,
Yet eyes behold their fruits in different light.
May your own good not rise from others’ harm,
Nor others’ evil stem from what you write.
So shall no curse without a cause descend—
Where good bears fruit, and evil finds its end.
—
en yan hua fang 