“Mommy, did God make God?”
My daughter (age 4) asked me this a few nights ago while we were saying our bedtime prayers. I wasn’t anticipating explaining God’s eternality and self-existent nature as we were winding down, but here we were. I tried to explain that God always existed, and didn’t need to be created, so he didn’t create himself. This is tough for adults to understand, so there's no surprise that she was dissatisfied with this answer.
I was reminded of this passage:
People were bringing little children to him in order that he might touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the little children come to me. Don’t stop them, because whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”Mark 10:13-15
Matthew, Mark, and Luke each tell this story of Jesus’s disciples pushing children away from Jesus. Jesus doesn’t just ask them to stop - he’s “indignant”. Really really angry. He goes on to say not only should the children be welcomed, but that no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they receive it like a little child.
As the mom of two littles, I really love this story.
I’ve heard this story taught countless times. Sometimes the main point is one of dependence, and I think that is a really good application. I think a powerful sermon could be written reflecting on the vulnerability of children, and what that means for entering the Kingdom of God in light of the Beatitudes, or the many Old Testament passages that highlight God’s care for vulnerable people.
However, I’ve most often heard this passage taught something like this:
Keep things simple. Don’t over analyze. Just trust God. Too much thinking is dangerous and just too complicated.
While simplicity has its place, I’m not the biggest fan of this interpretation.
I do think there’s much to gain through childlike sincerity. But usually the teaching isn’t about sincerity, it’s encouraging people to take what the teacher is saying at face value, and not “over think it.”
I suspect those who teach that childlike faith is “simple” or “blind trust” have not spent much time with children. There’s another, in my opinion more accurate, characteristic of children that might help us enter God’s kingdom.
Curiosity.
I don’t know any parent that hasn’t found themselves exasperated with the word “why”. Children ask what we are having for snack, why we can’t go outside, why their friend has lots of brothers and sisters, why did a plant die, where does the sun go at night, where do babies come from, what do bunnies eat, why can’t I have milk in the car, why do you have to work, and did God make God? The questions are endless - and sometimes exhausting - but I think there’s a lot we can learn about spiritual growth from these inquisitive little humans.
Most of us readily acknowledge that curiosity is an asset at work and school, but for some reason we don’t always apply that same curiosity to God. Maybe we think we are supposed to know all the answers already? Maybe pride gets in the way? Maybe we don’t see God as a safe person to bring questions? Or maybe we haven’t seen church as a safe place to ask questions. That’s a real problem. If we can’t ask questions to fellow believers, we will look for answers to tough questions elsewhere.
Unfortunately, the feeling that questions about God are unwelcome is not totally unwarranted. There are some Christians who believe asking questions about what we’ve been taught is disrespectful, dangerous, or a sign of not having enough faith.
That said, I think there are applications of curiosity that are holy and helpful.
Jesus said the greatest commandments were to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to love our neighbor as ourselves. Healthy curiosity helps us love God and our neighbors better. Here’s how:
Curiosity fuels learning. It’s well understood that children learn at a faster pace than most adults. This is largely due to their natural curiosity. We learn and retain information when we want to know the answer. If we allow ourselves approach God with genuine curiosity, we are more likely to learn who God is and what he has done.Just like learning about a new friend by asking them intentional questions, approaching God with curiosity helps us know him more. To know God more fully is to love him more deeply. The more we seek to know God (through curiosity!), the more we will find we love him.
There are certain instances in which curiosity can get the best of us. If we question God’s honesty that the consequences of sin are really as bad as he says, we’re entering dangerous territory. (Did God really say we would surely die if we ate from the tree?) But there is a difference in asking “why?” and asking “is that true?” God is always honest. Asking why is seeking understanding which leads to greater knowledge of God’s heart, and should be welcomed. Asking is “God holding out on me?” or “is God being honest” are much more dangerous questions. He is not holding out on you, and he is honest.
Curiosity is often an expression of humility. The proud person believes they have all the right answers without a need to ask questions. I often think I know why someone is behaving a certain way or exactly what a passage of scripture means. Or maybe I don’t know the answer, but I’m too proud to ask the question, for fear of looking uneducated. Children don’t have this problem. They have an accurate understanding that the adults around them know more than they do, so they ask questions freely.
Our adult-ish tendency to assume we have answers and protect our egos doesn’t serve us well. In 1st Corinthians, Paul addresses the church in Corinth about some internal controversy about engaging with some elements of the culture. Some people felt they knew the right answer with 100% certainty. Paul reminds them they don’t know everything and should seek God’s wisdom.
I find Eugene Peterson’s paraphrase of this helpful:
We sometimes tend to think we know all we need to know to answer these kinds of questions - but sometimes our humble hearts can help us more than our proud minds. We never really know enough until we recognize that God alone knows it all.(1 Corinthians 8:1-2, The Message Translation)
A proper perspective of the limits to our knowledge is a mark of humility (Kelly Kapic’s You’re Only Human has a fantastic chapter on this). When we recognize we don’t know the answers to everything and are really okay with that, we are free to ask questions in humility.
When we create environments that don’t encourage curiosity about God, creation, or man, we really aren’t setting people up to successfully walk in love.
If you fear your questions indicate a lack of faith - I would encourage you in this way: the safest relationships are the ones where questions don’t prompt defensive responses. If you don’t believe me, spend some time reading the Psalms. David and the other Psalmists asked God question after question about his plans. God is not offended by our questions seeking understanding. A strong faith can ask questions, trusting God does indeed have answers. And like any good parent, it is entirely reasonable for God’s answer to be “that’s a good question, and I can’t tell you right now.” To paraphrase Tim Keller and Tish Warren, God doesn’t usually give us a perfect explanation. What he does give us is a perfect person and a better story to help us process.
I don’t think I gave my daughter a satisfying answer to her question about “God making God,” but I hope she keeps asking questions about God and his world. If we, like children, can ask honest questions to our loving Heavenly Father, I think we will find ourselves much better fit for life in the Kingdom of God.
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