The Story of Reality: How the World Began, How It Ends, and Everything Important that Happens in Between

by Gregory Koukl

But given a Godless, physical universe, the idea that things are not as they should be makes little sense. How can something go wrong when there was no right way for it to be in the first place?

Has there been a single moment in any of our lives when we have loved God with the intensity he deserves or loved our enemies as we have loved ourselves? There has not been for me. When measured by the true standard, are we not all found wanting? Are we not all grievous criminals before God every waking moment of our lives? Are you beginning to see just how bad things really are for us? Are you willing to admit just how deeply broken and profoundly guilty you truly are?

And now we are at the heart of a central matter in the Story. Parents give children boundaries for reasons. They have insight into how things work that youngsters do not have. They know that if their children disobey, they are likely to break something—maybe just a vase or a picture window, maybe an arm or leg, maybe a valued relationship, maybe an entire life. Disobedience destroys, and sometimes the damage is so great it can never be repaired.