22 And the haft also went in after the blade; and the fat closed upon the blade, so that he could not draw the dagger out of his belly; and the dirt came out. Judges 3: 22 (KJV)
By Bro. John L. Cash, “Country Preacher Dad”
Dear Jack,
How is school going so far? I enjoyed very much the column your mama wrote about you, about how you’re starting school and all the questions you have. (Click here to read it.) I always enjoy seeing you at Christmas and hearing the questions you have for me then. I remember when you were only three-and-a-half years old, and you asked me if I liked Shrek. You told me that you “couldn’t like Shrek.” I am so glad that you’re a little boy who asks questions. Questions show that we’re busy thinking, and they’re the only way we learn anything.
Your mama asked for volunteers who might field your questions. As a pastor, a lot of children ask me to answer questions, and I try my best. Even though I’m not always right, I thought I might offer you my thoughts. (Jack’s questions are in red.)
1. “Do the people who make the road ever sleep?”
Absolutely. Some of the people who work for the highway department go to my church. And they do sleep. Sometimes during church.
2. “What happens if the road-makers have to poop while they’re riding on a bulldozer?”
They use the nearest bathroom that they find. Spencer and Seth helped me with this answer because they have both been vo-tech students, where the teachers and many students know how to drive bulldozers. At high school, the students and teachers wait to “go” at home, but at the vo-tech they just use the closest toilet. Bulldozer drivers are busy, and they have to hurry back to work.
3. “What is the first thing that ever pooped?”
Well, Adam was the first person to do it because he was the first man. But the first “thing” to poop was probably a bird. Genesis says that God made the sea creatures and birds on the fifth day of Creation and all the other animals on the sixth day. So, the first was either a fish or a bird. I vote for a bird because I have personal experience with this. I used to hang my shirts on a clothesline.
By the way, the Bible (in today’s Scripture text at the top) tells a story about a wicked king who “had an accident”. One of God’s heroes, Ehud “The Left-Handed Judge” stabbed King Eglon in the stomach with a long sword. Eglon was so fat that the fat closed over the blade. The Bible says, “And the dirt came out.”
4. “Is there ice cream in heaven?”
I really think so. The Bible says that people are going to eat food in Heaven. In fact, there is going to be a big wedding supper in Heaven (Revelation 19:9). In Heaven, you are going to be happy. If you need ice cream to be happy in Heaven, well, I believe God will give you some.
5. “What is that black thing sticking out of the bulldozer?”
I have no idea.
Jack, I can’t guarantee that my answers are right, but I have tried my best. I hope you ask your teachers a lot questions this year and that you get a lot of answers. And, I hope that, as you grow older, you’ll continue to ask questions about God and your work in His world.
I have heard some grown people say that we shouldn’t ever question God. But I don’t know where the grown people get that idea. The Bible is full of stories about people who asked God questions. Job wrote a whole book of the Bible that is made mostly of the questions he asked the Lord. King David (who was the man after God’s own heart) asked the Lord a lot of questions in the book of Psalms. Even God’s only Son, the Lord Jesus, asked God a lot of questions. When He was on the cross, He said, “My God, My God, Why?”
So ask a lot of questions. Ask your parents, your grandparents, and the other people who love you. Ask your teachers. Ask your pastor. Look for the answers to your questions in books, especially the Bible. And don’t be afraid to ask God, your Heavenly Father. He said “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” He always hears you.
Jack, have a wonderful school year. I hope I get to see you and your brother and sister during the holidays this year. As you start your school career remember this: “Be good, and you’ll be happy.”
Much love always,
Uncle John
