Why?

The other day, I was walking my 2-year-old cousin from my house to my grandparent’s house. As we walked along the street, I told him of the time I fell off my bike and broke my arm on that very stretch of asphalt. I had this great story of how I got hurt, and all he could think of to say was, “why?” Each explanation that followed only resulted in more “whys?” It got me to thinking about perhaps the most important question ever asked throughout history, “why?”

Why are we here? Why do bad things happen to good people? Why does the Jersey Shore continue to get renewed each and every season? The simple question of “why” really isn’t all that simple. As people, we want to understand everything, and unfortunately, it’s an impossible desire to fulfill.

As harrowing, as it might be to ask an impossible question day in and day out, I was reminded of the innocence in asking such questions, especially from the perspective of a 2 year old. It shows that one is growing in their awareness. It also shows that the person asking such a question is willing to admit that they don’t know everything and would like to know more.

Many people retreat when they are posed with the question of “why?” This question is perhaps the most dangerous when asked in a religious context. Such questions upset the norm and tip the balance of faith towards ambiguity. But often, we learn more from the questions themselves than what answers human minds can devise to try to offer some sort of answer. Quite frankly, we can never know some things about our faith, and it would be irresponsible to try and fabricate some kind of response to appease a certain point of view. But luckily for us, Christianity IS a faith that welcomes mystery and intrigue. God never chastises us for the questions we ask, but He appreciates the honesty and candor with which questions are posed, understanding that, just like infants, we must ask questions towards those who are older and wiser than us, even if we don’t understand the answer when we hear it.