There you have it. Of course you already know that I must have done this several times in my life. Sometimes the question was good and easily applicable. Most of the time the answers were something that I needed to deal with...NOW! Who invented questions anyway? The first question in the Bible was the serpent saying: "Did God really say..." and of course we know what happened shortly thereafter. Adam and Eve had plenty of other options that they could have used. Like, for instance, "We should really ask Dad before we eat this lovely fruit." Smiles all around! But that was not reality and did not happen.
There are awkward questions that cause us to gasp. In a life long ago I asked the person I was with if they loved me. They said, "No." Not being one o leave things alone I asked that same person if they had ever loved me. They again said, "No." You most certainly get what you asked for when others are honest. I'd rather have the honesty than the not knowing or a lie. Even though the pain may come; the pain will also go away. Not all questions are so weighty. I love to eavesdrop on small children talking. You want blunt? They give blunt! Some of the answers are quite funny
Adolescence is a whole different world! These years are the king and queen of drama and the emerging uncomfortableness of being you in front of everyone!!! Can anything be worse?! Yes, your parents could be there listening and watching. "Why can't you just leave the room?" they say. To which we respond that this is still a shared house and we will stay in the family room. Plug in exasperated looks and "Whatever!" with a huff and puff thrown in for good measure. "My life is over anyway!" So re-dye your hair.
The art of questioning hasn't been perfected. The art of avoidance has been perfected. Again, direct your attention to the Garden. "Did God really say that you would die if you ate of the fruit?" Satan wants us to be uncomfortable so that we are in affective. He wants us so busy defending ourselves that we are unable to witness the greatness of God in our lives. Life isn't that complicated. Ask any 3 year old. Life is extremely complex and unfair Ask any teenager. And so the battle goes through our life until we do just one thing. Do you know or remember what that one thing is? Okay, here is your chance to win the prize. We need only "STOP." After we stop we can think and then act. Stay stopped as long as you need before answering the difficult or embarrassing questions.
Some questions we shy away from and set the stage for disappointment and loss. "Will you marry me?" "Are you using drugs?" "What were you doing." "How long has the affair been going?" "Why don't you want to be a doctor like me?" The list goes on and on. Your particular question may be one I've asked or one of the many that aren't listed. Know this, we will get the question and we won't want it answered. We may not want to answer as well.
I recently went through a cancer scare. While waiting for the pathology test results I had all kinds of questions going through my head. Some were selfish. Some were not. Questions can be answered three ways: Yes, No, and Wait. I didn't want to hear any of them. I wanted to hear that the first suspicions were wrong. A mistake had been made. Everything was going to be okay. "Let not your hearts be troubled." Jesus said that. After I learned that I did NOT have cancer I let my heart not be troubled. Before that I was a basket case! The answer was desired and feared at the same time.
Now that I am a senior citizen I can look back through the years of my developing and make, with absolute honesty, and say that every age and any age have questions we don't want to answer. Since I'm still here, some of the questions must have been in my favor. Us old guys call that, "Dodging the bullet." Don't ask me what that means. I know that I've done that for many years and hope to keep doing the same thing for many years to come. I still shy away from the questions and sometimes the answers. I try to let God have the reins for this ride.
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