To begin is the most important part of any quest and by far the most courageous. –Plato

Man is born, unfortunately, I sometimes think, with a gene that drives him to pursue an elusive quarry – one that is difficult to catch and always out of reach. Most men carry this gene. When I have been sitting in my frozen November deer stand, shivering for three straight days, I jokingly refer to it as a defective gene.

What is your quarry? What are you pursuing? What drives you? A golfer pursues a lower score. A runner chases a faster time. A climber ascends a higher mountain. A prospector digs for riches hidden in the ground. Even the hole he digs is called a quarry.

The long and difficult pursuit of a quarry is called a quest. When a man’s quest is successful, his victory is a conquest, and he is a conqueror.

These words all contain the Latin qu root. It implies seeking and pursuing. Seeking asks, “Is it out there?” Pursuing asks, “Can I catch it?” The same Latin root is found in query, inquiry, quiz, request, and question.

Today, I am inviting you to join me in a quest. Our quarry is the answers to five big questions. These questions reflect an instinct residing in the core of every man. That instinct functions as an unseen and irresistible force that drives him to look for meaning and purpose in the universe – and in himself. The instinct whispers to his heart that there is more to life than mere chance; that his life matters; that he has a purpose; that he is somebody. Like geese pulled irresistibly south by the encroaching frost, men are compelled by instinct to ask:
Who am I?
Why am I here?
What am I missing?
What is truth?
What must I do?

These instinctive questions are universal. They are asked by men of all ages living in all times and all places. Why? What causes a man to feel drawn by something his physical senses cannot observe? Why is meaning important? Why does purpose matter? Why do we feel unfulfilled, like we’re missing out on something? Does truth exist? If it does, how can we know it? Can we ever be truly free without it? What is this longing I have for eternal life? Where did it come from? How can I satisfy it? Is there something I must do?

While all men carry the instinct to ask these questions, many silence it. Some smother it under a heavy load of material possessions. Others run from it by pouring their energy into lesser pursuits. Some deaden it with addictive substances and activities. A few even make it their mission to prove the instinct doesn’t exist. Why?

There are many reasons, but one primary culprit is the source for all others: fear. Men steer clear of the truth because they are afraid it will reveal something terribly inconvenient: a man is not the master of his own destiny.

Instead of pursuing truth, a man simply avoids the instinctive questions that will lead him to it. He resists. Doing so is exhausting. The fact is this: it takes courage to ask the questions. Do you have the courage to confront your fears while seeking the truth?

Courage doesn’t happen when you have all the answers. It happens when you are ready to face the questions you have been avoiding your whole life. – Shannon L. Alder

If you are willing to risk discovering the truth, then this quest is for you. This article is the first in a year-long series that will seek to answer the five instinctive questions. It is a quest, and I pray you will join me.

Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. – Jesus Christ, Matthew 7:7-8