Week 72: Questions - Never Lose Curiosity

“Always the beautiful answer who asks a more beautiful question.” (E.E. Cummings)

“He who asks a question is a fool for a minute. He who asks no question is a fool for a lifetime.” (Unknown)

Keep Questioning

We all ask questions every day; ‘What I’m going to do today?’, ‘What I’m going to wear?’, ‘Whom shall I meet today?’, ‘What to eat? Where?’, ‘How to be friend with her?’, etc. From my observations; we adult as we increase in age, we ask little  serious-life-changing questions (and much complaints). Someone said to me one day, ‘We grown up should stop asking questions… just go with the flow.’ Fool! He who asks no question is a fool for a lifetime. Oh how we have lost the art of asking questions that once upon a time we were masters of question asking! When we were kids, we asked millions of questions. We injected headache to our parents and teachers; some responded but some would run away when we hands them a bag full of questions. We were once learning machines, but now for most of us, have lost their curiosity and just go with the flow.

Hear me: Never lose curiosity, keep questioning – especially, regarding about your faith.

Questions reveal who you are

One of the obvious revealer about who you are and what’s inside of you are the questions you are asking every day. Questions reveal who you are, what you’re thinking about, what you long to know, and what drive you. Questions also can change what you’re focusing on and determine what you do. Thus, learning to ask empowering questions can shape who you are on the inside. Questions such as: ‘Am I changing for better or worse since last year 2011?’, ‘Will my plans today please God?’, ‘Is there any habits of mine that doesn’t glorified God?’, ‘Will I be serving others?’ These kinds of questions will help you decide how you spend your time, energy and even you money. I’m totally convinced that if you ask these questions, you will begin to change from the inside out.

Ask Questions and you’ll Find

If you read enough motivational books, you might be familiar with this test;

1.     Stop for a moment and as you look around your room or wherever you are right now, ask yourself a question: “What in this room is red?”

2.     Look around and see it: red, red, red.

3.     Now, look down at your computer screen. Just look at these words, now think of everything that’s… blue. Can you think of any? [If you are in a familiar room or place, you can probably do this easily, but if you’re in different room, chances are that you’ll remember a lot more red than blue.]

4.     Lastly, look around and notice what’s blue; blue, blue, blue. Do you see more blue this time? I’m sure your answer is yes. (Unless, blue really doesn’t exist at all in your room)

What have we learned? Whatever we look for we’ll find. What you ask (if it within our human capabilities and God’s Will), you’ll find.

Ask God the tough Questions

After Ronald A. Beers in his book Divine Moments explained that Moses was feeling frustrated that God had revealed to him a plan without revealing how that plan would unfold (read Book of Exodus), he writes, I quote in length,

“When you question God’s plan, He doesn’t always yield all of the details of how that plan will play out, but He gives you an even better answer: Don’t worry about the details, because I am with you. Even when you question and doubt God’s actions, you can still remain certain of who He is – faithful and eternal. You can know God is loving and just and still not understand why He allows some things happen. God welcomes your questions when you don’t understand, but He often reveals his faithful character rather than future circumstances. God encourages you to ask Him tough questions out of a genuine desire to know and understand Him. It is important to ask God the tough questions, because it is in the questions – not the answers – that you find God.”

I love how Eugene Peterson’s The Message paraphrased Jeremiah 33:2,3, “ This is God’s Message… :Call to me and I will answer you. I’ll tell you marvelous and wondrous things that you could never figure out on your own.”

Ask God tough questions for He said, ‘Call to me and I will answer you’.

Time to Delay Asking Questions

Though I encourage earlier ‘never lose curiosity, keep questioning’ there’s a time when we have to delay asking questions. If you keep asking questions without delay you’re going to be more confused and uncertain – this will produce inaction. You’ve got to delay and start responds revealed answers through ACTIONS!

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THINK BIG Keep Questioning, Questions reveal Who You Are, Ask Questions and you'll Find, Ask God tough Questions, and Take Time to Delay Asking Questions. START SMALL Start asking questions - be curious! GO DEEP 3 Stages of Learning; 1) Learn the right answers, 2) Learn the right questions, and 3) Learn which questions are worth asking.