Kids have many questions. If you have ever eaten at a restaurant, explored the woods on a nature hike, gawked at the zoo, rested in a restroom, created a craft, read a book, listened to music, fixed dinner, mowed the lawn, meandered on the beach, pumped gas, or attempted to take a nap in the vicinity of a precious little one, you know what I’m saying. The endless barrage of who, what, when, where and why keeps you on your toes and can wear you down to the bone.
Kids are looking for answers to all of life’s problems, puzzles, and happenings. They are on the hunt. Big or small, they need to know. Thankfully, they are bold enough to ask and ask and ask. Their impassioned seeking fuels their quest for answers. If you try to ignore them, they’ll continue asking, seeking, and knocking until you finally cannot bear the interruption any longer.
Maybe one of the reasons that Jesus enjoyed time with children was because they weren’t afraid to open their mouths and say whatever they were thinking. Their brutal honesty mingled the obscene and absurd in the same breath. They didn’t have the capability to turn on their interior editor and filter or correct their honest speech before it came spewing forth.
A few years ago, Elizabeth Blair wrote a fascinating piece, Beyond Books: Libraries Lend Fishing Poles, Pans and People. Leading with the question, “What's the point of a library in the digital age?”, Blair reveals the creative ways that many libraries are expanding their resources by making sporting equipment, tools and even people available for check out.
“‘Libraries that are loaning out people often refer to them as ‘human books.’ Sometimes they even … give them catalog numbers … Public librarians have contact with all walks of life,’ says Amy Greer, who coordinated a Human Library event at the Providence Community Library in Rhode Island. ‘So we created an application, and we approached people we see every day.’”
“They came up with a collection of 40 human books. Among the stories, says Greer, ‘Refugee ... woman with a face deformity ... ex-felon.’ Over 200 people browsed the catalog and checked out books. ‘Then they would go and sit down with that person for 20 minutes for a one-on-one conversation ... And they would just have a dialogue,’ says Greer.” You can read the whole article here: https://www.npr.org/2013/08/13/211697593/beyond-books-libraries-lend-fishing-poles-pans-and-people.
What a tremendous opportunity to engage a spectrum of stories and people. This process of lifelong learning leads to greater knowledge, as well as a deeper understanding of those with whom we live.
We don’t need to shy away from wonder and discovery. We stand in a long line of Christians who are not afraid to ask questions and wrestle with difficult issues, seek Scripture for hope and inspiration, and knock on the doors of heaven over and over with our prayers for guidance and peace.
In all of this, we trust that God is pursing us and inviting us to continue learning about the love and mission of God. What does God ask of us? Where is God seeking us and calling us? Where in our hearts and minds is God knocking, hoping that doors and opportunities will become open and available for God’s purpose?
I pray that the Spirit helps us revert to our childhood curiosities. Together, let’s spend the year asking questions. Who is God calling us to be? Where are we willing to follow Jesus? How can God use us to bring hope and dignity to all people?
Our asking will push us into new territories where we’ll have the opportunities to seek a broader picture, listen to other voices, and search for God’s presence in our lives and in the world.
Still filled with wonder and awe,
Pastor Lowell