If you remain united with me, and my words with you, then ask whatever you want, and it will happen for you. John 15:7
You can tell whether a man is clever by his answers. You can tell whether a man is wise by his questions. -- Naguib Mahfouz
Questions. I like them a lot. I like to create them. I like to ask them. For Christmas, a fabulous friend of mine gave me a whole book of "If" questions. We stayed up that night answering a lot of them and laughing incredibly hard and it was an amazing gift. I oscillate between asking people my own creative questions to brighten their day or to make them think or sometimes "playing" this book with them.
Okay, hold that thought.
I always like to have unique outgoing voicemail messages. In the past they've been really long. Inventive. There were a couple that involved Bernadette Peters. As in, I'm at the movies with my new best friend Bernadette Peters or ... And if this is Bernadette Peters ... My friend Kim used to answer, This is Bernadette Peters, baby ... Always made me smile. Well, for awhile I had one about gratitude. As in I really love gratitude, leave me one thing you're thankful for.
Un-pause that thought.
After the "If" book, my friend Jen suggested that I use one of the "If" questions in my outgoing message. The book had questions like -- If you could only keep one appliance in your house, what would it be? If you could read anyone's diary that you knew personally, who would it be? If you could be a parent to one famous person who would you choose? The question that I chose for the voicemail was. If you could ask God one single question, what would it be? One single question.
I wish I'd kept a notebook of all the answers I got, the reactions. What an interesting project it could have been. Friends. Nurses. Pharmacists. Family members. Some poignant ones, some interesting ones, some silly ones, and some frustrated ones.
I will share a few. Why is their hurt in the world? Why doesn't my daughter ever answer her phone? Will I find a job where I'm moving? Why do women and men have their sexual peaks at such different times in their lives? Causing such painful struggles in their marriages and relationships? (From a lady that helps post menopausal woman with their hormone levels) Why did I ever ask Amanda to change her voicemail from gratitude? Dear God, why did you put her in the Blogosphere where phones don't reach? And where is the Blogosphere? Why are twelve hour days at work so hard? One about the shades of the sky at different times of the day and which was His favorite. Maybe the one that made me giggle most, my little cousin Hadley asking, why I haven't changed the message yet because she really doesn't like it. I always found it interesting the questions people would leave. Especially how different people would leave questions to God on my voicemail, even if they didn't know me that well. They were asking Him. But I got the privilege of listening.
I would like to mention that I gave callers a second option if they didn't want to leave a question, and that was they could sing any line from a Judy Garland song. Fair is fair.
I never answered the question. Of course, I don't call myself. But listening, looking at them, a question I would pose -- Why so many "why" questions? Curious enough, never any "what if" questions. I guess the word I'm missing among these ones we're asking is "how." There is wonder in that word. Or "what is?"
What is your favorite kind of weather? Which one is your favorite star? What is your favorite type of tree? How do you feel when I smile? Do you catch the kisses that I blow to you during the day or after a prayer? What did you have in mind when you made feelings? How did you form joy? Can I have a hug? Could I have surprise today? Will you show me what I look like when you look at me? Can you keep this or that person company until I see them again? How can I give real comfort to the hurting? Will you show me where to step? Can you whisper a little louder than everything else?
I guess the question I do ask Him most, Will you hold me close to your heart? I need to hear your heartbeat.
By the way, I changed the message.
I hope you are all listening to His answers.
0 comments:
Post a Comment