Is searching better than finding

Is Searching better than finding

Tim Connor

Searching for something in life? Been at it a while?  Getting closer? Getting discouraged?  Feeling like giving up?  Found it and it wasn’t what you thought it would be or what it would look or be like?

Searching – observing acutely or examining thoroughly (well that’s not very helpful is it?

Finding - a piece of information obtained from an investigation, especially scientific research.  Ditto as above.

I don’t even know why I search for definitions any more.

Searching is a close cousin of goals, purpose, dreams and desire. In some cases our searching is a waste of time while in others it can keep us focused, committed and active.

Here are two quick examples.

Searching for God’s will or His purpose for your life. How will we ever know we are on the right path heading in the right direction when our journey is filled with disappointment, frustration, uncertainty and even failure?  We can never be totally sure we are moving in the right direction.  We can hope, we can work and we can try but will we ever know for sure?  I doubt it.

Years ago when I made the decision to become a full time speaker and author there was an inner calling – this is what I am supposed to do with my life and time.  Was it written in stone? No.  Have I experienced doubt and many questions along the way that this decision was the right one? Yes.

So, what’s the answer? Don’t know. I know this is a lot of help, but none of us can or will ever know the future let alone what tomorrow will bring.  All we can do is keep moving, learning, surrendering and asking for guidance. As well as accept what crosses our path as the ingredients necessary to achieve this destination.

A quote from one of my favorite authors, Eric Butterworth.  “God’s law adjustment regulates all the affairs of my life and all things are in divine order.”

You can believe this, accept it or deny it and believe that you are in control but in the end I believe we are all here for His purpose and He will keep nudging us in the right direction.  Yes, we can resist but in the end I have learned that resistance only brings more pain and frustration.

Second example.

I love to write and speak and not because someone may benefit from my words but because I love to express myself. Yes if you benefit from my words that’s great but in the end, they are my words written and spoken to help me learn more faster, better and easier. So writing and speaking isn’t a chore, but a passionate work of love.  I can keep trying to get better, wiser and more effective as I write and speak by continuing to learn and grow.   

My search is for writing and speaking with clarity, integrity, courage and effectiveness. 

“You can make your plans, but God determines your steps.”  You may have read that somewhere if you have ever studied scripture.

Either way I’m not implying that we shouldn’t keep searching for something we want or desire, because if you don’t search that may be an obstacle to ultimately finding.  But here’s another problem.

What if we find what we are searching for and then discover it wasn’t what we thought it would be?

Another two quick examples.

Many people are searching for their one true love.  If this wasn’t true there wouldn’t be over 40,000,000 people searching on dating sites. Let’s say you find what you believe is the love of your life and after a few months or years you discover that what you found was wrong for any number of reasons.  Was the search necessary? Yes.  Did you find someone? Yes? Were they the right person for the long term? No. Was the search a waste of time?  I’ll let you answer that one.

Second example.

You are searching for the perfect career or job.  You plan, study, work hard and finally find what you feel was the right answer.  But after a few years you start to feel a sense of apathy, anxiety or even regret.  Was the decision the right one at the time?  Well, yes, no and maybe.  Would you have found the job without the search? Probably not.  Was it the best answer at the time? You believed it was - then something over time changed that gave you pause.

In each case should you have just sat by waiting? Not a good strategy.  Should you have done more research before you made the choice? A better approach.  Can you guarantee that each choice leading to your search will be the right one? Never.

The solution – keep searching, hoping, believing, planning and acting but at the same time accept that the direction or the outcomes of the search will not always lead to the destination of your choice.

In the end I believe that searching is better than finding as a life approach.  This doesn’t mean that you won’t ever find or that finding is bad, just that when you stop searching, you stop growing and learning.

“If you do not expect the unexpected you will not find it, for it is not to be reached by search or trail”.

Heraclitus