The Hard Questions

When you meet someone, just to be cordial, you ask them very basic questions about themselves.

"Where do you work?"

"Where do you live?"

"Where are you from?"

For women, these initial, first meeting questions may be different, but they all show a cursory, guarded, interest in a much bigger possibility...a relationship.

If I meet a guy at work, those questions may be the only conversation I'll ever have with them. Being very ADHD, I won't even remember their name. It just never registers until my subconscious mind figures I'll need to know their name going forward. Until I do, nada. That is the limit of connection I'll have with that person.

Now, if I find there is mutual interest, then the questions get a bit deeper.

"Are you married?"

"Do you have kids?"

"Where do they go to school?"

These questions, back and forth, show a mutual interest for a deeper connection. If they favor the same teams or food, then plans to reconnect might take place.

Relationship

Something like politics or religion might slam the brakes on forward motion anytime here...depending on each person's demeanor on such things.

Still, this is where the harder, deeper questions on a relational path come in. They usually happen as the connection has already passed the basic area.

"Why did you divorce your wife?"

"Why are you not longer going to that church?"

"What were you thinking?"

A connection, a deeper relationship is the goal. We all want it, and we all struggle with our bizarre inability to really find it...even in our deepest connection, marriage.

We are rather guarded. We really don't like ourselves, so we lie to ourselves, and hide from others. The easiest way is to never progress to the deeper questions. To keep the relationship to a comfortable distance.

No intimacy.

This sucks, but we all do it. The result is loneliness and depression.

Still, it is super easy to fix. With God, through all of what Jesus is, said, and done, we can deeply connect to the most kind, perfect being in all of reality. An intimacy, that if you are willing, is so close, so intense, that you will never lie, because they already know you that well. A connection so deep, that they know you better than you do...and love you regardless.

Yeah, it's that good.

The problem most who begin this relationship have is the same with any relationship. We limit it by our questions.

Church people are the worst. Always superficial with the questions. So bad it is, that they may only ever ask you where you work. That's all they are interested in. They do the same to God.

"Are you powerful?"

"Do you love me?"

"What can I do for you?"

If this is all you know of God...well, you don't know God. You are just acquainted.

"Why do you tolerate evil?"

"Where are you when I'm hurting?"

"Why wont you let me succeed?"

These deeper questions are born out of struggle. A struggle to hold on to the relationship in the face of challenges.

"Why did you say something unkind about me?"

If you find out that your friend and neighbor spoke ill of you to another, you can ignore it, blow them off, or get in their face. Perhaps they had a good reason. Perhaps they are not as kind as you thought. If you value the relationship, you will get in their face.

If you don't, you will never ask the really hard questions.

A real deep relationship with a God is no different. You can ignore the fact that God is in control and blame the devil, giving God a pass. This is you limiting your relationship, because, let's be honest, you don't really want to know. I've even seen "christians" get very mad when I point to this limitation, that they themselves create.

God doesn't want this. Sure, He will let you do it. It is no different than the various relationships Jesus had with the twelve.

Peter, James, and John were his buds. Matthew was closer than the multitudes, but he didnt seem to have the same interest for closeness as the three.

Judas, of course was in the same group, but he limited the relationship to something he wanted. A completely fake relationship where he lied to himself about Jesus.

If he really knew Jesus, he would not have betrayed Him. He either didn't value the relationship over his greed, or as some speculate, he wanted to force Jesus into a position Jesus had no intention of taking...for now.

Either way, what he wanted the relationship to be, ended up being his downfall.

It is no different for us. If you limit the relationship, it will be all you get.

This all comes down to the hard questions, and accepting the answers He gives.

How can you really trust God if you refuse to accept His power, control, and absolute authority?

You can't, because you can't even know who He really is. Like Judas, you made a false image of Him in your heart and mind.

Yeah, He hates that...really hates that.

So, if you REALLY want the intimacy, the ask the questions...and listen to His response. You will learn that He is even better than you thought at the begining, by far.

Want help with a question?

Ask Him why He didn't make a greater effort to sway Judas from an eternally bad choice.

Ask Him who was more important to Him, Cain or Abel.

Ask Him why you haven't seen Him face to face.

Ask Him to tell you all the things about Him that others fear to know...even angels.

Yeah, now that is a deep relationship question!