Questions

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My wife and I have entered that next season of life called grandparenting. Although we don’t get to see our granddaughters as often as we might like, we do get to talk to them thanks to advancement in communications. When we talk, they have questions. It seems that all little kids have questions about the world around them. What makes snow cold? Why is the sky blue? Why is Holly meowing? What does that word mean? Why is it raining? Why do you live in Ohio? When will we see you again? The questions seem like they go on forever. Sometimes we even get tired of answering them—and sometimes we even get tired asking them. Don’t.

Questions are how we learn. If we never ask any questions, then the only way we have of learning is to make mistakes ourselves—it’s either that or go around ignorant the rest of our lives. Questions are how we discover the world around us. The answers to our questions are what help us to expand our awareness and understanding as we put together answers to form our views about how we perceive the world around us.

I am not sure when it happens or why it happens but there seems to be a time for most people when we stop asking questions. Maybe it happens in school when kids are taught to listen and learn what is needed for the next test or worse yet maybe it happens when a parent finally loses patience and screams at the child to stop asking so many questions. Whenever it happens, that is a sad day because asking questions is how we learn, whether we are two or ninety-two.

As adults, we often don’t ask questions because we are afraid of looking stupid. So we hold back, assume whoever is talking is an expert and we fall in line living our lives with questions unanswered or facts not fully understood.

It is sad to me but the one area in which adults seem afraid to ask questions is in their spiritual walk. For some reason, people seem afraid to question God. This is sad at so many levels. God loves us and just like our earthly fathers because He loves us, He wants to be there for us in every sense of the word. Our children innocently ask questions of us because they know we should have the answers and will take the time to answer them for us.

The same is true of our relationship with God. He wants us to tell Him what is on our hearts. He wants to hear from the depths of our souls how we are feeling about life and the situations in which we find ourselves. Unlike some earthly parents, He does not get upset when we ask the never-ending “why” questions. We may not always love His answers but He will never stop loving us for asking.

The world can be complicated and there are a lot of questions we all have. It’s ok to ask. It’s ok to question why things happen the way they do. God is there for us even more than the best parent. He is there no matter our age, our situation, or our attitude. How do I know God welcomes our questions? The word “why” is found over 600 times in the Bible. This does not include “who” or “what” or “how.” The Bible is full of questions. Some are from God but many others are people asking God why. Just look at the Psalms! That book is full of questions.

With this many questions being asked by biblical heroes, doesn’t it point us to the conclusion that it is ok to ask God? Life is never a clear road with all the lights green and the paths well-marked and ruler straight. We will have questions. Ask! God wants to hear our hearts. He wants us to draw nearer to Him by communicating our greatest needs, our wants, and our questions.

Imagine you were on a trip and the tour guide kept taking you places but never explaining a thing. Wouldn’t you ask the guide a few questions? Our lives are that journey. God is our guide—assuming we let Him in. He is there to help us when we get off track. He is there to steer us clear of danger. Sometimes we need to stop and ask direction. Go ahead, ask! He has been waiting for you.