Faith Alive

Pernell Goodyear doesn't want any answers. I know what he means.

The questions are essential.

Answers? Not so much.

Comments

[nancy]

i see a little of what you mean.
i think i might be seeing some of the same thing in appearing different ways or forms.
some of them obvious some of them more hidden to my eyes.

God Bless You

[eclexia]

I agree. I was thinking aboutthe implications for my kids recently. What do you grow up and question if, when you're growing up, your mom questions everything and verbalizes more questions than answers on any topic she thinks about? I'm more or less okay with living a life full of questions (that make up the context where I trust God) and no answers. But I wonder if all the questioning means I'll raise kids who question so much they can't trust at all.

[eclexia]

I shouldn't have said "no" answers. There are many questions and paradoxes that do have answers. But there are huge ones that do not. Sometimes I think we get into trouble when we force things that don't make sense to make sense in wrong ways. That's part of why I'm trying to learn to live with the questions and trust instead of using my little brain to finnagle things together into answers at any cost.

[Anna]

I don't really get this. I can understand not wanting to hear people's answers because you're tired of hearing things that are wrong or don't make sense. And not all questions are deep, of course. Sometimes I get caught up in feeling like I have to know the details of God's plan - what's going to happen in the future, why does he want me to do the things he wants me to do - when I don't really need to know any of that.

But deep questions, like "what do I do" - I don't understand why we would ever be better off not knowing the answer to that.

[[rhymes with kerouac]]

Anna - What I'm suggesting is that it's the questions that propel us forward. It's the process of questioning by which we examine ourselves, our world, and the way in which Christ interacts with that world, through us. A lot of the time, particularly when faced with huge issues such as poverty, or the broken-ness and pain of the world, no answers are possible. But through the questioning of ourselves and God, through the relentless questioning of how we understand and see God in the world, we move closer to realizing our role in the Kingdom - and thus taking steps to make that Kingdom a reality.

I used to think I needed to have all the answers - that I had to know what to say or do in any given situation. Then I thought it wasn't that I needed all the answers, but that I needed to have the right answers. Now I'm beginning to understand that asking the right question can have tremendous power to change the way I am and the way I act.

One other thing... Like Pernell experienced as he was walking through the neighbourhood, sometimes those overwhelming questions can lead us to a kind of despair. That sounds awful, but it's in that despair that we cry out to God. It's only in that realization that we have all the questions and none of the answers that we have the humility and the open-ness to allow God to move freely in our hearts and minds.

I hope that makes sense,, but that's kind of what I mean.

[lorna (see-through faith)]

it's still pretty hard for some people to accept our questioning. For them it's a direct challenge to their authority (even when it's not meant in that way at all) - this is especially true in church /evangelical circles and makes me sad :( because the way I learn best - in all kinds of ways - is by interacting and yes asking questions. I'm not necessarily looking for the right answer - but what you think about x, y or z :)