What’s the most difficult question you’ve ever been asked?

Perhaps it was a question in an examination that stretched your understanding and ability to (or beyond) breaking point.

Maybe it was a question that tested your loyalty to someone else, or put you on the horns of a moral dilemma.

It could be that it was, “Will you marry me?” – to which my wonderful wife answered, “Oh heck!” (later saying yes, as you will have deduced).

Perhaps it was a question that caused you to have to reach into the darkest recesses of your memory to recall an event or a person.

It could be relatively simple, such as, “How are you?” when the answer is incredibly complicated and you aren’t sure whether you can trust that person or are not sure that they want the full unexpurgated version of your life story right now.

Or how about ‘What’s the most difficult question you’ve ever been asked?’

At the moment a lot of people who are kind enough to show an interest in me and my sabbatical leave are asking me, “How’s the sabbatical going?” It’s not the most difficult question in the world at face value, but I am not sure what the criteria are by which I am expected to respond…

Time is passing at its normal rate so the leave is counting down (just gone past one month).

I am enjoying reading the books that I have set aside to read, and I am ahead of my reading target at this stage.

I have been able to arrange to visit some other churches to ask the questions that are coming out of my reading and thinking.

I am coming up with some interesting ideas, thoughts and possibilities.

I am relaxed.

On all of the above criteria, the sabbatical leave is going well. Thank you for asking.

But that’s all from my perspective. I wonder how God thinks it’s going.

I don’t know if I can answer that on his behalf. If you have any insights…

And if you want to know the most difficult question I have ever been asked, it’s this:

“Will you follow me?”

I’m spending the rest of my life trying to be a good answer to that question.

Be blessed, be a blessing.