Have you ever been afraid to ask a question? We’ve all heard the saying “there are no dumb questions” and yet, we are often afraid to ask. Sometimes we believe that we should already know, sometimes we are sure that everyone else knows, sometimes we just hope that we will figure it out before we have to ask. For some reason, we are quick to give answers but slow to ask questions. In today’s passage, we get to see the stark difference between two different people, the woman at the well who asked questions freely and the disciples who held their questions in. One person had her life changed and heart opened while the other group tried to simply keep things moving and lead Jesus to their assumed and desired destination. Questions create opportunity for change, they present a humility that is willing to learn and they create an atmosphere for transformation. If we are not willing to ask questions we are saying that either we already have the answers, we are disinterested in considering change or we are afraid of the One we need to ask. Not every question has an answer but I believe that every question deserves discussion, every question can lead to conversation and largely it is conversation that opens our hearts and minds to redemption. The Scriptures are filled with people who were not afraid to ask questions and when they asked they didn’t simply get answers, they were introduced to the depths of God’s loving character. Whether it was Moses asking who he should tell the Israelites sent him, David asking God, ‘How Long’, Job asking questions out of the depths of his grief and pain, John the Baptist asking simply if Jesus was “the One” or the woman at the well asking how it was that Jesus, a Jew, asked for water from her, a Samaritan woman, each person that was willing to ask a question had an encounter with God. Today I don’t know if we will discover answers but I pray that we will surrender to not just the need for questions but the freedom to ask our questions. I pray that we will come to believe that God’s presence is not only a safe place for those who are sure but it is also the refuge for all those who are ready and willing to begin asking.