I grew up with a father who with deep patience in one area, answered questions. Anything mechanical or made was fodder for endless question and answer conversations. As I think back on the conversations around place where a house was about to be raised, I found myself deep into the reasons that the house foundation needed footings as well.
I was caught in a repeating cycle of “oh, I get it” followed by a short pause which in turn was followed by, “then, why….”. As I think back I realized that the questions and inquisition feel Dad’s thirst to instruct and guide his son. It also opened an opportunity for him to help me understand the importance of asking questions.
“Do you realize that if you had stopped with the foundation, you would have never known what a footing was?”
“True. Once, again, why do we need them?”
“See the soil? Look at the area. Think about the weight the foundation is here to support. Can it do it on its own?”
At the time I was five or six. What I recall in the simplicity of life at that age, was being empower to ask questions and think on the answers. I grew, thinking that asking questions was a responsibility and a privilege. It was the foundation that opened the window for growth and more! With each key, another question formed, expanding the picture and the details that made it interesting.
There have been friends over the years that have taken my approach to extreme levels. Everything in life, observed or experience, is open to questions, understanding, and more. Their questions opened me up to asking and seeking. Inevitably I found myself at the foundations of what kept my live together. Experience and observations took me to a God of compassion, community, and beauty. The answer to my questions that followed opened another door; “The Right and Justice are the roots of your rule; Love and Truth are its fruits.” (Psalm 89.14) Experience reminds me that these are the footings that give Life its foundation.
