The Right Questions

Year 6-Day 302: Today, I am grateful for the right questions. 

One of the things I learned quickly in the world of social services was that I didn't have all the answers. That may qualify for the understatement of the year. 

So many who crossed my path had lived life experiences that I had no true reference point to help me understand. I didn't have to figure out their right answers. They did. 

I had to learn to ask the right questions. I could learn what those might be through listening. Listening and waiting for them to figure out the answers for themselves was where changes could take root. 

We humans have a willful, stubborn streak. We would rather blame and complain than change something that might lead us into the unknown... even if the unknown holds the promise of being better.  

Dr. Seuss nails it on the head with a quote that is new to me, or just stood out for the first time. 

"Sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers are simple." -Dr. Seuss

Wow! Isn't that the truth? The simplicity of this statement blows open the doors of possibility. We must learn to ask the right questions. Then, the answers fall into place.

Jesus was masterful at this technique. He often asked questions when being questioned. In doing so, he would reveal the hearts of his accusers. He used it with his own disciples.

He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” -Matthew 16:15 

Talk about a complicated question with a simple answer. People were up in arms about Jesus. The Pharisees and Sadducees saw him as a revolutionist. They determined Jesus a threat to their power and their leadership. They wanted him gone... out of their hair... and many preferred him dead. The disciples were still figuring it out.

Christ's passion was people. His desire was to find a way to save souls and obey the Father's will. The question that changes our lives is this one:

He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 

Peter was the first to call him Messiah out loud. The disciples would come to realize that Jesus was the Son of Man and Son of God, who would provide the perfect lamb. He would pay the price for the sins of the world when the Passover shofar blew for the sacrifice to be made. 

We all have to answer the questions: “But who do you say that I am?” The answer will be recorded. It ripples into eternity. 

Today, I am grateful for the right questions.