Questions, Questions, Questions

My son Jacob has always been great at posing questions that puzzle the brain or require more than a moment’s thought. This began early and is often ever present. That guy is inquisitive about all things great and small. And he’s down right persistent, too.

After many lessons about Christianity including God, Jesus and the disciples, around age four he decided that he needed to know more. So one day he began rattling off some details that had been shared with him during our private bible studies such as that we (mankind) were made in the image of God though visually seeing that likeness was not possible as earthly beings.

My son understood that Jesus was the human personification as God’s son on earth sent to be the example of the way we should live our lives while redeeming us from our sins. And then he popped it on me, “if God made us, then who made God and how long had God been around?’

It was at that point, I knew I was getting out of my league so I found him a bible study class quick which has worked out pretty good since.

At about age six, we had stopped at a restaurant to have some dinner. I instructed him and his sister to find a clean seat as I ordered for us all. She searched for a seat but he walked with me to the counter and then he asked ”why can’t I order my own food? I know what I want.” I didn’t have a good answer.

Mommy was just tired and hungry and thought it best I just do it. He insisted on ordering. We bantered back and forth as tears rolled down his bronze cheeks. It was the first time he had blatantly said “no” to me. At this point, the listening cashier chimed in with “why can’t he order if he knows what he wants. I think it’s great little man wants to take charge.”

She was right, I decided later. I let him order, which he did proficiently, after which he wiped his cheeks dry and headed to sit with his sister. I learned an important parenting lesson that day—pick your battles wisely, big or small.

Fast forward to this past weekend. We were enjoying some great outdoor fall weather when he asked “mom where does the wind come from? I know what it is and what it does but where does it actually come from and don’t tell me God.”

It was a simple, good question that I didn’t have an answer to. I could explain cloud formation, I could explain hot or cold weather as results of low pressure and high pressure currents but I realized that I didn’t know what really forms wind.

So I did what every good modern day parent (or maybe just me) does when vexed. I asked Google—again. The reply was that wind is caused by air flowing from high pressure to low pressure. Since the Earth is rotating, however, the air does not flow directly from high to low pressure, but it is deflected to the right in the Northern Hemisphere; where we live, and to the left in the Southern Hemisphere. So in essence, WE learned that the movement with the clouds are essentially the same with the wind just at terrain level. But instead of seeing it, unless you’re in a tumbleweed storm, we feel it.

I recount all this to say that we are never too old to learn something, anything and that youth can often be refreshing to the old.