As the lovely news of my pregnancy spreads, I have been receiving not only congratulations, but a vast array of advice and superstitions around pregnancy. Here are just a few morsels:

• “Your bump is small; you must be carrying a boy.”
• “Your hair is different; you must be carrying a girl.”
• “Don’t wear high heels, or your baby will be born cross-eyed.”
• “Don’t eat strawberries, or your baby will be splotchy.”
• “Walk a lot, but also don’t walk too much or it will induce labour.”
• “Don’t eat pineapples… I’m not sure why, but my mother said it was important.”

While the first trimester of my pregnancy was hell-ish, I am thoroughly enjoying being pregnant at the moment. It’s wonderful to read all the books about how the baby develops week-by-week – for instance, my baby is apparently now the size of a dill pickle! As my body changes, the reality of my situation – growing a human inside me – becomes more real, and the mother-child bond continues to grow.

Having said that, Adrian and I are absolutely petrified by parenthood. This is obviously our first child, and we’re both feeling overwhelmed by how much there is to know and learn. Different books give completely different advice, as do different doctors and nurses; baby prams can range from $10 to $20,000 (seriously!), and most of the time, we feel like we’re making it up as we go along.

And yet, the excitement doesn’t wane. One of the great joys of experiencing something completely new is the knowledge that there is no stupid question. There may be ridiculous answers depending on where you look or who you ask, but there are no stupid questions. Our energy can therefore be spent not on wading through all the advice and figuring out what holds weight, but just discerning who and what we can trust to give us wise advice.

This is true of faith, too. Ask ten Christians how they feel about, say, multiculturalism, or marriage equality, or infant baptism, or women in leadership, and you’ll get ten different answers. This is not to say that nine are incorrect. But in matters of faith, when engaging with new and difficult questions, it is important to discern for ourselves who and what we can trust.

Particularly in this Discipleship Month, and in next month’s Bible Study Month, I hope that West Epping is a place of no stupid questions, and respect for the myriad of answers such questions might generate. Don’t be afraid to ask the questions that plague your mind; John and I will do our best to help you think them through.

And of course, if all else fails: what would Jesus say?