The Heart Behind It All

may we cultivate the habit of taking the “whys” to the Father first.

By: Ansley Bonaventure, middle school principal

“Why do we…?” I wonder how many of us have started a question with these words during the first month of school. Or a better question might be how many times have we started a question like this?

The beginning of the school year brings countless questions – whether this is your last child’s last year at Perimeter School or your first child’s first year! There are so many things to learn and experience, and we are all eager to know the “why” behind some of the things that make Perimeter School so unique.

“Why” Questions Beg For Wisdom

This is normal! God has made us curious, and He has also made us incomplete. We have limits! We are in His image, yet we are not all-knowing nor do we have complete wisdom. 

There is a tension that exists in our hearts. We want to know the “whys,” and we truly believe that if we understand every detail, then we would feel at peace. We believe that solid answers create order and order brings peace.

There is some truth to this: when we understand why we do things, we do feel steadier. But, as believers, we need to be wise in how we search for the answers to our “whys.”

As parents, what should we do with our questions that begin with “why”? A question that begins this way is not a question that only needs information as an answer. If I ask, “What day is Chick-fil-A Day at school?” that would be a question that just needs an informational answer.

But, if I am asking, “Why do parents teach Friday Enrichment Days in first and second grades?” that is a question that asks for information + wisdom. We are asking what the heart behind something is: “why” questions beg for wisdom. They are the bigger questions that tug at our hearts in a different way.  

Jesus Is Wisdom

So, when we have questions that beg for wisdom, where do we turn? It is often easiest to shoot a text to the room mom or to the class group text chain. This may produce a quick informational answer, but our hearts really long for wisdom – for the heart behind the answer. 

And, who can give us this full, complete answer? I challenge us all to first seek the wisdom that comes from our Father. Can we start by asking Him our “whys”?

While a friend or a spouse can certainly give some wisdom and insight, the Bible teaches us that Jesus is wisdom. I Corinthians 1:24 states that “… Jesus is the wisdom of God.” Wisdom is a person. What if we turned to Jesus first with our “whys”? 

Would sitting with the Savior and asking Him, “Why do I have to make this difficult covenant call?” answer the question in our hearts? We may not hear an informational answer, but what we will hear as we sit and wait and train our hearts to listen to Christ’s wisdom is often peace. 

His Word reminds us in I Corinthians 14:33 that “God is not a God of disorder but of peace.” The balm for disorder (many “why” questions that can sometimes feel overwhelming!) is not order but His peace. 

When we simply seek order and answers, we can quickly idolize the knowing and miss the peace. “What a gift we often forfeit, what a needless pain we bear. All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.”

His Peace and Kindness Are What We Need

Covenant family, may we cultivate the habit of taking the “whys” to the Father first and allowing His peace to be the foundation from which we pursue understanding.

Knowing that His heart toward us is kind and loving and resting in that first will soften our human hearts as we continue to pursue understanding and order. And, more often than not, His peace and kindness are truly what we needed after all!