Daily Devotional

I’ve always been someone who has a lot of questions. When I was in first grade the teacher gave out awards to all the students at the end of the year. I was the recipient of the “Most Inquisitive” award. When I asked my teacher what “most inquisitive” meant, she laughed and said, "You ask a lot of questions.” She wasn’t wrong.

One time that same year my teacher informed the class that we were going to talk about Pluto and wanted to know if anyone had any questions. My hand immediately shot up. I had always wondered why Pluto the dog was Mickey Mouse’s pet and yet Goofy was also a dog but walked on two feet and talked like the other main characters. Another student also raised his hand and got called on. I was surprised to find that he had the same question! What was also surprising was the reaction of the rest of the class; they all started laughing. In fact, the teacher started laughing as well. She then explained the reason; we were talking about Pluto the planet, not the Disney character. (At that time Pluto was still considered a planet, and I admit, it still is in my heart.)

Did you ever notice how many questions kids ask? And how many fewer we ask as we grow? I don’t think the disparity is just because we know all the answers, I think we just lose sight of the value of asking. I love that in Acts 17 the Bereans were commended for their curiosity and research. They listened to Paul’s message but still had questions. They wanted to check and verify and be sure that what they were hearing was true. And where did they go with their questions? To God’s Word. I also love that Paul wasn’t offended by this but instead encouraged it.

When I started in ministry, I used to be afraid of what might happen if somebody asked me a question I didn’t know the answer to. I’m not sure why I was so afraid. If I didn’t know the answer I guess I would be exposed for being…human. Now I’m much more comfortable simply saying “I don’t know, let me look into that.” The truth is, I don’t have all the answers. Sometimes I think I have more questions than answers but the great thing is we have a place we can take all our questions, God’s Word. Questions are a great way to find answers. We don’t have to be afraid of asking them or of having them asked of us. If we don’t know the answer, that’s a great opportunity to find out.

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