When I was just a kid, I drove my parents crazy asking questions and challenging conventional wisdom. I can still remember in my pre-adolescent years stirring up controversy in our home just so I could create a courtroom scene where I played lawyer and judge. One of my first cases revolved around what we call cuss words. I wanted to know who it was that decided which words would become cuss words and why adults were allowed to say them and kids were not.

I argued my case with the skill of Perry Mason or Ben Matlock. “Why is it acceptable to say poop but not #$@# and darn-it but not #@^%-#%,” I retorted. In my closing argument I said, “These are words which are nothing more than letters put together to form a word, so who decides that some are not acceptable and others, that mean the same thing, are not? It is my opinion that not only is it acceptable to say poop but it should also be acceptable to say @*$% and the same with darn-it.” After that, I rested my case. Since my mom and dad were the only members of the jury besides my sister who was a year younger than me, I lost my case. Of course my sister Teresa, would side with mom and dad for the purpose of gaining brownie points. I think it was doomed from the start. My brother, Rob wasn’t born yet or I may have had a little help.

Do you have a child that asks a lot of why or why not questions? If so, it is not a bad thing. Asking questions is a great way to learn about life. Children are notorious for asking why or why not questions but if we take the time to answer them or point them to the place to find the answers, we will help them increase their knowledge of life, exponentially. It can be time consuming and because of that, too many parents just ignore them. Rather than stifle questions we should be encouraging them.

As a parent, I would rather be the one helping my child or children with the answers to life’s questions rather than ignoring them and letting some insane college professor spout his or her ignorance disguised as intellect. I do not believe all college professors are insane but some are and they will have at least one before they graduate. God built our kids to ask questions and He gave them parents to help with the answers. I have not always known the answers but I have tried to point them in the right direction to find them.

I am now 47 years old but I still find myself asking the why question about many things. At my age, I find that I am asking more self-penetrating and self-evaluating questions than anything else. Since I have always been a questioner, I have been able to settle many of life’s external questions at this point in my life. I now find myself probing and questioning my own motivations, attitudes and actions at a deeper level. It is leading me to a more honest and intimate relationship with Jesus as well as relationships with other people in my life.

Sometimes it is much easier to blame someone else rather than be honest with ourselves. It is easier to blame our spouse for our marital difficulties rather than to look deep within ourselves and ask the hard questions such as, “What am I doing or not doing to contribute to our problems?” It can be easier to blame our boss when things are not good at work rather than to look within and ask, “Am I giving a hard days work for my wages?” It is much easier to blame our kids for constant misbehavior rather than ask, “Am I taking the time to give my child or children the constant love, consistent discipline, and undivided attention they need?”

Placing blame cripples our ability to pursue honest answers. When we blame, we stop the process of introspection. Only after we have taken a hard honest look within and questioned our own motives, attitudes and actions, will we be able to come to a proper conclusion. Asking questions is the way to find answers. If you want to learn something today that you don’t already know, ask a question. If you want to learn something that will help you grow, ask introspective questions.