Lent 2013, Day 12: Of Questions and Answers

“Is that Barbara Eden?” I asked my sister as she flipped the channels in our hotel room after dinner.

She rolled her eyes and gave me her “Melanie-don’t-be-ridiculous” look. “It was made in the 1990s and the woman’s probably in her twenties.”

I giggled, then said, “I didn’t ask you when the movie was made or how old you think the woman is. I asked you if it’s Barbara Eden.”

We did this a few more times just for fun,  me asking questions and her providing answers, but not direct answers to my questions. When I thought about it later, I was reminded of Jesus and how skilled he was at not answering the questions of the disciples or the people or the high priests. More often in the Gospels, Jesus responds not with the short-term, easy answer, but with another question or perhaps with a story or comment that will lead the questioner to a greater truth if he or she thinks about it.

Many times in our lives, we just want a direct response from God, just as all I initially wanted to know from my sister  was whether the actress was Barbara Eden. Even “no” can be preferrable sometimes to the “wait” or “have faith” answers God gives us. Perhaps it’s part of the human condition to want just enough information, the knowledge we are arrogant enough to believe is all we need. But as we grow in wisdom and faith and love, we often gain the confidence to understand it’s a greater gift to receive the information we need to discern the answer or direction, not just what we want to know in the moment.