One of the most beautiful things in the world is hearing a child’s first question.

As a parent, it fills us with pride and we think our little one might possibly be the most amazing person in the world.

My favorite with my children was “what dat?” On and on and on, what dat, what dat, what dat. Discovering every bit of the world around them.

It’s a work of art, in my opinion.

And yes, it gets a little tiresome after a million asks, but as parents we do our best to answer and give them more and more information to understand their world.

Somewhere along the way, we lose sight of the beauty of questions.

We begin to think that we need to know it all and that people around us should know it all too. Maybe we even begin to fear asking questions, or we judge someone who allows themself to explore their curiosity. By this point, shouldn’t we know what’s what?

And questions make us squirm a little, because they can get under our skin.

•Do we really know what we believe?
•Are we threatened with someone else’s questions, or are we afraid to even speak our questions for fear of judgment?
•Does exploring truth mean we don’t believe?

Personally, I think we have a hall pass to ask all the questions we want.

After all, Jesus was a master question asker. And He never really seemed troubled by questions.

Which one of you who has a sheep, if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it out? Matthew 12:11

Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Matthew 7:3

But who do you say that I am? Matthew 16:15

Do you understand what I have done to you? John 13:12

Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner? Luke 17:18

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Matthew 27:46

Did not he who made the outside, make the inside also? Luke 11:40

Questions don’t mean that we don’t have faith.

If anything, it shows we’re pressing in, thinking, discovering, and leaning into who we’re becoming.

As we’re processing life together, I hope we won’t be afraid of our own questions, and I hope we can leave space for other people to do the same.