Some of my favorite moments serving as a pastor in a local church include questions from young people. Sometimes they come directly from the child, but often a parent greets you at the door after a worship service or class—child in tow—with the words, “We’ve got a question for you…” The child will repeat a question they first asked the parent:
- If God created everything, who created God?
- Why does God let bad things happen?
- How can God be everywhere at once?
- How can God hear all our prayers when we are praying at the same time?
Most of the questions children ask are deeply theological and need more time than we have just then. I’d much rather talk about the mystery of God in those moments than give a quick response that gets us to lunch on time.
What I’d really like to do is get adults comfortable with saying, “I don’t know…” Beginning there opens up the possibility for conversation with wonder instead of shutting it down with certainty.
Some would have us believe that opinion matters more than curiosity. If you watch the news or scroll through your social media feed you recognize how we give our attention to those who hold the strongest views and what they claim to be the right answer to deeply complex issues. War, poverty, the confirmation of a Supreme Court Justice.
What would happen if we centered the voices of those who start with “I don’t know…?”
- I don’t know, but this is what I wonder…
- I don’t know, but this is what I’ve seen…
- I don’t know, but I’d like to hear what you are thinking…
We might learn more from those with good questions than from those with all the answers.
a writing prompt
Mary Oliver‘s poem “I Happened to be Standing” begins:
I don't know where prayers go, or what they do. Do cats pray, while they sleep half-asleep in the sun?
Start your writing with, “I don’t know….” and be curious about where your words take you.
Mary Oliver on NPR
Listen to Mary Oliver read the full text of “I Happened to be Standing” and talk about paying attention, poetry, prayer, and the natural world—all in under 7 minutes in this NPR interview from 2013.
