A Safe Place to Ask Questions

"He told me, 'It wasn't good to ask too many questions. I should just have faith.' That's when I decided Christianity wasn't for me."

I have heard this from students far too often. Growing up is a time for questioning, and those questions are important, even the ones we might think are silly. When a young person finds themselves in an environment where questions are not welcomed and explored, they assume the resistance is hiding the fact that faith has no answers for the real issues of life. It's no wonder they begin to check out.

Creating a safe place for questions is intimidating. It means being open to say, "I don't know." Those three words can inspire a great deal of respect. No one expects you to know everything. If you claim to, then people think you are making things up as you go. The words, "I don't know", gain even more strength when followed by, "But I think I know where to find the answers."

It also takes more work to create an atmosphere where students feel free to ask questions. It requires study time to search out the answers to questions. It requires love to sacrifice the time to research questions you might not care that much about but a student does. And it requires patience to stick with a student as he or she struggles through every objection.

That struggle is often more important than we realize. The questions and objections students' raise may seem theoretical to us, but they often reflect the challenges they encounter every day.

In the end, if a student can't bring their questions to us, if we don't build a place for their questions, then they will go somewhere else to find their answers. The enemy knows that, and he has built far too many places where it's safe to bring your questions. The result is that it seems the agents of the enemy know more and care more than God's people do, and that's a tragic illusion.

Next Time: How Do I Encourage Questions?