Some years ago I found myself virtually naked with a woman who wasn’t my wife. We had only just met and oblivious to our state of near-nakedness we talked for some time about our lives and families. I was dressed only in my boxers, and she in her bra and knickers but it all seemed quite acceptable, not least because my wife was lying on the bed next to me in a similar state of undress talking to my new friend’s husband, who was also dressed only in boxers.
What was the explanation for this strange scenario? Simply that we were on holiday in Spain and making new friends at the resort swimming pool – we were wearing swimming costumes and lying on sun beds, chatting as our children played in the pool.
Which all just goes to show that any story can only be properly understood if you know the context. The story of our lives is no different, and in order to find the answer to the question of what life is all about we must first decide on the context – for example are we simply here because of a random process of evolution or because we were created by a loving God? Our answer to that question will have the most profound effect on who we are and how we live.
