By Joe Rector

Philosophical moment—Life is filled with questions. Maybe the meaning of life is to ask those questions and then spend the rest of our time on this planet working to find the answers. Most of us eventually discover the answers to questions, but some of them just aren’t so easy to discover. I have a list of questions that might someday be answered.

One question is who makes it to heaven? I know what Christianity says: all must go through Jesus, and as a practicing person of faith, I have a strong belief in Christ and his teachings. With that said, I’m troubled to think that individuals who are members of another religious philosophy are doomed. Literally millions of people are going to hell, even though many of them have lived Christ-like lives. Isn’t it possible that God reveals Himself to others in different ways?

An age-old question has been why do bad things happen to good people? Yes, I know that people have written books and articles and sermons to answer this one. Still, I just don’t get it. My daddy was a good man, yet he died at the age of 53 and left Mother with three boys. John Denver was a favorite singer of mine. He championed causes that protected the environment. In an instance, his life was snuffed out, and the void he left was huge. Then, characters like Tsarnaev, who blew up people during the Boston Marathon or the animals of ISIS who kill indiscriminately as they seize territory and annihilate anyone who doesn’t believe as they do continue to draw breath.

I want to know what causes the hatred between races. I grew up singing, “Red and yellow, black and white, they are precious in his sight, Jesus loves the little children of the world.” That doesn’t work so well in today’s world. Some in all races hold grudges and despise anyone who is not like them. I’d like to know why different skin tones exist. Oh, the scientific reasons are out there, but why wasn’t mankind created with just one skin color? Would folks get along any better?

Why do terrible diseases thrive? God has given mankind many brilliant minds, but for some reason, no one has been able to develop a treatment that would eradicate cancer and A.I.D.S. The suffering of the afflicted is only part of the problem. The family of the ill must endure the ravaging effects of disease on their loved ones. Alzheimer’s steals a person little by little and leaves the family feeling helpless.

I even have a question about my wife. Why in the world did she choose me for a husband? We met in college, and she was three years younger. Yes, she was gorgeous, and guys surrounded her. In fact, Amy’s former boyfriend was still hanging around her group of friends. She could have had one of a dozen guys, and it’s a good bet that they could have provided a much better life than I did on a school teacher’s salary. She wouldn’t have had to work so hard for so long. It makes no sense that she would date me, marry me, and stay with me for more than 40 years.

We all have plenty of questions that have no clear answers. As a child, I lay in bed and tried to figure out what was after infinity. I still don’t understand. God created heaven and earth. What is the source of God? It’s those kind of questions that can drive a guy crazy.

At some point, my time here will be through. If I’m lucky enough to make it to heaven, I’m going to go to God with a long list of questions. I hope that then the answers will become clear.