When he was a child, Auschwitz survivor Elie Wiesel’s mother would greet him the same way each day after school. Instead of asking, “What did you learn today?” she would ask, “Did you have a good question today?” I have always loved this story. Because, rather than simply asking young Elie to give a report of what someone else had taught him that day, she was inviting him to go a step further, to wonder about the meaning of what he had learned, and to engage his own imagination.
Good questions can be powerful – not only in stimulating curiosity and critical thinking, but in opening doors to new perspectives and deepening relationships.
Last weekend, I had the privilege of attending a workshop where I learned something about the power of good questions. Photographer and storyteller, John Noltner, has spent much of the last two decades traveling around the country and talking with all kinds of people in an effort to learn about who we are and what connects us. He began by asking everyone the same question: “What does peace mean to you?” And he has gathered their answers – and the stories behind them – into two books and several traveling exhibits to engage even more of us. As I sat with others that afternoon, I observed how this question and others like it called forth deeply heartfelt and soul-filled responses. Questions like: “Where have you seen beauty?” or “What kind of world do you want to live in?” or “Where have you known a sense of belonging?”
Jesus, too, was fond of asking questions. Questions to make his followers think. Questions that revealed the deeper desires of their hearts. “Why are you afraid?” “What do you want me to do for you?” “Who do you say that I am?” Being willing to honestly engage these questions takes courage. It asks us to look inside and tell Jesus the truth about our fears, our desires, our sometimes unsteady faith. But these are questions that get to the heart of things, and have the power to draw us closer to the one who asks them.
So, I invite you to have courage. Sit with one of Jesus’ questions and pay attention to what emerges for you. And then, see what questions you might ask to deepen that relationship even further.
Rev. Jean Dow
Transitional Associate Pastor
