The Legend of the Seeker

There was a legend back in the late 60s and early 70s about a seeker of truth. The long-haired rebel had become disillusioned and suspicious of the modern culture and doubted whether mainstream society offered any real answers to the basic questions of life. Why am I here? What is my purpose? How do I find meaning in life? 

The post World War II generation had married, worked hard, secured stable lives and families. Meaning was derived from their experiences as children in the Great Depression and victors in a global struggle of good versus evil. The next generation grew up with no such definition for life. With the Cuban missile crisis they found themselves hiding under desks and in fetal positions in the hallways of their elementary schools. Even a third grader wonders how the desk will protect them from a nuclear explosion. Then there is JFK, Martin Luther King, Bobby Kennedy- prominent icons of American life gunned down in broad daylight. 

Welcome the hippie generation. The seekers of truth, so called. They asked the hard questions. They tried to look beyond the surface and see the meaning in things, They looked for answers, were proud of their open-mindedness, were conceited and arrogant in their brash rejection of the status quo. Always seeking but never finding. They embraced one another- as seekers only, not as finders, The finders were rejected among the seekers. You were encouraged to seek but never to find, 

II Timothy 3:7 always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth. 

Are there any legitimate reasons why seekers had so much trouble with finders? I can think of two: 

1. Finders sometimes gave off an air of superiority, of close-mindedness, and defensiveness about their beliefs. Seekers found this air offensive in the extreme. 

2. As long as seekers kept seeking they were never accountable to anything or anyone. The chronic seeker feels a false sense of freedom. 

But, isn't it possible to be a both a finder and a seeker at the same time? 

I came out of the youth culture of the late 60s. I found Christ towards the end of my freshman year at Penn State. The night I received Christ I told my roommate, "I think I've found the answer to life". Later I contributed every weekend for a solid year helping promote and train for the "I Found It" campaign. The commercials said, "I found it, and you can find it too- new life in Jesus Christ." I stand solidly on the truth found in Christ and in the Bible, but I'm still seeking. I'm seeking for greater understanding of all kinds of things... 

But if you have found the answer to life, what are you still seeking? I can think of several things: 

1. A deeper and fuller understanding of God and His nature 

2. A stronger connection in my relationship with God 

3. A more profound grasp of life and love 

4. A clearer sense of purpose and direction 

5. Better ways to fulfill my various roles and responsibilities in life 

I Corinthians 8:2: If anyone imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know. 

The legend of the the seeker says that no one should become close-minded and stubborn the minute they find truth. They can continue to seek, continue to learn, continue to grow. Seeking can and should be a life-long process. The more a person knows, the more they realize how much they still have to learn. 

Philippians 3:12 Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. 13 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Many Hippies in the late sixties and early seventies had given up on life.  They had tried it all, until they found Christ.  In Christ they found real purpose and meaning.  Their lives were transformed.  They became the Jesus Revolution.  These folks, myself included, became life-long devoted followers of Christ.  They play significant leadership roles in our churches and in society today.  Find someone in your church who is 70 years old or older.  Ask them about it.  They will love to tell you a few stories that will blow your mind.