Because I Made You That Way

The contentions in Because I Made You That Way (BIMYTW) are presented in three parts: How You Were Born, What You Have and What You Want. This isn’t a long book. At 30,208 words, it’s less than half the length of most volumes. I’ve done my best to keep topics short and to the point. In these chapters you’ll find thoughts and ideas that I hope will drive home each subject…with tongue-in-cheek humor along the way. I hope that you find these chapters as entertaining as you find them revealing…since reading isn’t enjoyable if you’re not drawn to turn the page! Gentle reader, I am confident there is plenty here to capture your worthy attention.
Here are the contentions:

I: How You Were Born:

1. You were born without a value system. You are capable of incredible goodness…and despicable evil. The lens you acquire for focus and perspective will shape your personal value system. Without a developed value system, your mind pursues thoughts that are driven by your environment…and perhaps by what you had for dinner last night.

2. You were born a forgetful creature. Incredibly so. I can’t remember why just now…but keep reading and we’ll come back to this later.

3. You were born with a desire to indulge your self-interest. You were not born with a sacrificial spirit.
Those are only three of the 12 contentions, and already your stomach has begun to tighten. Am I right?

4. You were born into a fallen world. This is not the creation that you were designed for. That is why you struggle to fit in.

II: What You Have

5. You have a desire to worship. You were created with a desire to worship something. And so you do.

6. You have a rebellious nature. You do. Yes, you do. I said YES YOU DO!

7. You were born with gifts and abilities. You are equipped in ways that other creatures just aren’t. You are capable of amazing things…if given the opportunity and conditions to do them. If you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree…

8. You have a craving for relationships. Yeah, all sorts of cravings. We’ll get to that.

III: What You Want

9. You want money, wealth and power, but you are not designed to handle them well. Now isn’t that a topic worth exploring!?

10. You are driven to satisfy your passions. If you cannot find admirable means, you will pursue less than admirable means to do so. Most guys understand this. #10 is a corollary to #3…and it’s a hard reality: morality is conditional.

11. You want to pursue habits that are good for you, but there is only so much discipline to go around. This becomes apparent in the fullness of time. Some guys only learn this one when struck with reality. Struck. In the head. With a chair.

12. You want to lead yourself well, but you can’t. Truth and objectivity must be separate from your condition. We are born to form opinions about our environment. You were not created to be objective. We want to be—and to be known, as noble. But nobility is inspired and acquired, not born and worn.

This book is predominantly about sense. Both our senses and the practicality of common sense. The purpose of our senses is to help us interpret the world around us. Our senses enable us to evaluate our world, but they don’t entitle us to answers. Perceptions are what we gain through the use of our senses. Our senses enable us to feel out reality—and consider how reality relates to us. Common sense is what helps us make collective sense of our senses. And the coordination of these processes is what enables us ultimately to employ our free will…and make choices.

This is not a self-help book. Perhaps that is obvious by now. This is a series of contentions that describe who you are because of the way that you were made. I contend that God designed you with instincts, drives and ambitions. He designed you to navigate best by adopting His perspectives. Using His lens. And God created you to recognize your need for Him.