Top 10-#2 Ask Questions!

If you’ve ever been around toddlers, you know they have a favorite word. “Why?” Little kids are naturally inquisitive.

But something happens when we grow up. We are compelled to conform; it’s one of the strongest pressures in the world. We live in a world driven by social norms, and sometimes those norms are less than helpful.

We are told what to think. We start to accept the way things are. We stop exploring.

As I travel the world, I see that some cultures resist change, critical thinking and question-asking. In fact, asking questions is sometimes seen as rebellious or obnoxious; sometimes it’s even punished.

Perhaps you grew up in a family that was always pushing your mental boundaries. Or perhaps you didn’t.

I think some of us need to be given permission to ask questions. Has it been awhile since you had an original or creative thought? Is your mind full of cobwebs?

I am privileged to have a life-long friend who taught me critical thinking skills. He’s an engineer, so he questions everything. He gave me permission, and it altered my life.

Asking questions is good, healthy and reasonable. And contrary to popular belief, God likes it. Jesus asked a lot of questions!

I used to think that life was all about the end, about finding truth and holding on to it. But then I realized life is about the journey, always learning and growing.  Life isn’t easy. We have to struggle and wrestle to find solutions for life’s challenges. I think it’s how we were designed.

So here is permission. ASK QUESTIONS! Think creative thoughts. Escape whatever boxes you have built in your mind or have been imposed on you.

Allow yourself the freedom to resist the status quo and rediscover inquisitiveness.

“Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter…” Matthew 18:3 The Bible (NIV)

Royalty-free image complements of Billy Alexander.