Exploring Philosophy

“…But when hunger for bread came, when life began to be an earnest thing, then I realized in its dreadful depths, how poor and empty, how devitalized and comfortless, the new religion of our time had let me…. In the recesses of my being, the warmth of the gospel began to drive out the freezing chill of philosophy” – Abraham Kuyper (Qtd. A Book of Protestant Saints)

Summer has a way of making everything seem beautiful. I think the sun’s rays must permeate the soul, allowing light to flood in. Everything seems much more… simple. There is no room for busy thoughts or worry.
Summer is happy-go-lucky. Summer is carefree and unfettered.

If one is going to have an existential crisis, then, it is much more appropriate to do so in the winter. The winter casts a cold and dreary light on everything. Endless hours spent indoors can lend to sort of gloom, and it is only natural that the philosophical imagination would begin to run wild.

But not in summer, right?. Summer should be a time of light.

Who am I kidding? The search for truth never rests.

And lately, despite the bliss that summer usually brings,
my thoughts have been a little crowded.
Millions of seemingly impossible questions have taken up residency in my mind,
and it is as if a dark cloud has been blocking the radiant summer sun.

Honestly, I think everyone needs to have at least one moment of self-reflection in life. Everyone must ask themselves why they believe what they believe. 
For some, this may only need happen once.
For others, like me, it might be an almost daily occurrence.
I want truth. I am not interested in beautiful mythology or comforting ideology.

I am guessing that there are many people like me in the world, and that is likely why philosophy has become such a popular subject to study. 

While it is a certainly stimulating topic, however,
I have come to realize that philosophy is mostly empty.

It is just fluff. Not substance. Just milk. Not meat. 

Just questions. Not answers.

I realize that I am still young and that I lack life experience relative to many, but truth does not care about age nor hide itself from the young.

And truth, I have found time and time again, is ONLY in Jesus. 

He is "the way, the truth, and the life" (John 14:6). 

Every time I have a crisis of faith, I come once again back to this reality. 

He is the answer to every complex and 

impossible question I could ever conjure up. 

All of the gloomy shadows have been cast on my mind the last few weeks have been (once again) displaced by this glorious realization. 

The truth of the gospel, warm and inviting, has brought me back into the light of summer. I know why I believe why I believe. It’s because of Jesus.