Answer easy. Question hard.

I used to have a boss who would say that all of the time.  “Answer easy.  Question hard.”  I don’t know where it came from.  I was never quite sure what he meant.  It always sounded pretty Confucius to me.  But I thought of that the other day when we were asking the kids some questions.

We really do try in our own way to adhere to Moses’ instructions for the Israelites in Deuteronomy 6.  First he states what the Jews call the Shema (which means “hear”).

“Hear, O Israel:  The Lord our God, the Lord is one.  You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.”

Then he goes on to instruct them to teach them diligently to their children and talk of them when they walk by the way and when they wake up in the morning and lie down at night.

Tressa and I are trying to make it a habit to ask the kids questions along the way like “who made the trees” or “who made the sun” or “who are you making sad when you don’t do what you are supposed to do” and “who saved Noah on the ark.”  The kids will always answer “God.”

But the other day I noticed that when they aren’t paying attention to what the question is their answer is usually “God.”  I can ask them who left a certain door open or who pulled some DVD’s down from the shelf and if they are distracted their automatic answer is “God.”  They are so used to us asking questions about God that they assume the answer is God.  Of course we get that straightened out.

No doubt you’ve heard people say that “Jesus is the answer” or “It’s just a God thing.”  How about “you’ve just got to trust in God.”  And my favorite “God has a plan.”  Answer easy.  Question hard.

I’m one of those people who likes to know the ending before I begin.  “Begin with the end in mind” is a phrase that reminds one to know what results they are seeking before they begin the task.  So I struggle with questions such as “why did this happen to me” or “how could a loving God allow bad things to happen.”  As someone who has spent 41 years going to church services and hearing almost every Bible lesson imaginable the answers to those questions are easy for me.  However, where I am in my faith is not the same as everyone else and for me to just arbitrarily say “God has a plan” can seem shallow and trite.  Answer easy.  Question hard.

David wrestled with the same concerns in Psalm 13:1-2:

How long, O LORD?  Will you forget me forever?  How long will you hide your face from me?  How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day?  How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?

This life is filled with hard questions.  Some we will wrestle with until our last breath.  I’m thankful that God continues to give me the strength to wrestle with them.  That’s faith.  God really is the answer for me.  I just wish the questions were a lot easier.

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