When my children were little, we had a “Why? bucket.”  It was really just a plastic cup I conscripted from the kitchen cupboard, but we made it work.  The purposes for the Why bucket were many, but two were primary:

1. Invite my children to question the happenings of the world in which they lived.
2. Assist my children in assigning a value to the privilege of questioning.

For instance, if we told our children to do something and it didn’t suit them well enough to just obey, they could respectfully ask why they were told to do a task.  While they were preschoolers, an answer would cost them a nickel (inflation hit during the school years).  We would simply respond, “Go put a nickel in the Why? bucket and I will answer your question.”  Even at their young age we could see the mental wheels turning, “Is the answer going to be worth a nickel?”  Sometimes it was, sometimes it wasn’t.  It was their choice.  Yes, every now and again we were petitioned for refunds!

Modernity made answers to questions perfunctory.  We either are disinterested in questioning or we expect answers without effort.  In either case assigning value to the ability to question is lost to our culture.  This is a contemporary tragedy.

God made us inquisitive.  We are wired to investigate what we don’t know and evaluate conclusions we make.  To ask, “Why?” is a primordial gift that makes human.  Modern humans most often succumb to the arguments of the loud or the eloquent or the powerful and accept information without consideration, or even worse, “Why?” is asked only to demonstrate belligerence or rebellion.

Throughout human history, God revealed himself in such a manner as to answer our questions.  He is not the God who just says, “Because I said so…” (although that is always the prerogative of the Sovereign of the Universe).

For the next six weeks my friends at Main Street will consider ancient stories handed down from generation to generation for the purpose of revealing the character of the God and answering some significant “Why?” questions.

This week’s question is, “Why Can’t We Do Whatever We Want?”

Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord:

though your sins are like scarlet,

they shall be as white as snow;

though they are red like crimson,

they shall become like wool.–Isaiah 1.8 ESV