CURIOUS OR CERTAIN?
Are you curious, or are you certain, and which would you rather be?
In a culture that craves dogmatism, curious questioners quickly wear out their welcome. To bravely peek beneath the veneer of certitude, especially our own, takes courage, practice, and a sprinkle of child-like wonder. American spiritual teacher, author, and philosopher Vernon Howard said, “Always walk through life as if you have something new to learn.”
In, Becoming Curious – The Spiritual Practice of Asking Questions, Casey Tygrett declares, “Curiosity is essential to growth. A little curiosity moves us deeper into the lives of the people around us…When we make curiosity a spiritual practice, we open up to new ways of knowing God and knowing ourselves as well. Come and discover the power of asking questions.“
Persistent explorers of the spiritual practice of curiosity are often rewarded with a glimpse of the divine as they discover what lies beneath the storied lives of the people who cross their path. And what is it they discover? It is the image of God, an image often hidden beneath the tangled strings of judgment used to mark others as unworthy in our sight.
Curiosity, the very antithesis of judgment, ignites wonder, presses back fear, silences the accusations of the Evil One, and opens the possibility of experiencing more of the character of God as we explore our story and other’s stories in light of God’s story of love for the world.
NURTURING HOLY CURIOSITY
Curiosity, a thing so natural to our childhood exploration, can dull with time and circumstance. How do we nurture holy curiosity in our hearts so we might live in increasing awe of God and connect more deeply with others?
In her article, Nurturing Holy Curiosity, Ann Kroeker explores cultivating an inquisitive heart in relationship with Christ. She states, “When we root ourselves in truth, a holy curiosity can lead to a deepening awe that increases our faith in God.”
And the impact of curiosity does not stop there. Ann suggests it can impact, “…our attitude toward people… Curiosity helps us get to know people better and communicate love and respect by becoming, as Dale Carnegie advised, genuinely interested in others.”
BARRIERS TO HOLY CURIOSITY
Much of our engagement with God or others is received through our own filters. Those filters include past hurt, preconceived notions, or unmet desires. One filter that gets a lot of action in our listening lives is the filter we use to catch accusations lobbed in our direction. We don’t always recognize these accusations for what they are or realize their underlying source, but we’re deeply influenced and impacted by the daily barrage. So much so that our walls of defense rise, keeping out the good and bad alike.
In Christian Counselor Adam Young’s podcast, The Place We Find Ourselves, Adam discusses how, specifically, the kingdom of darkness wages war against our hearts using the tactic of accusation and how it can affect our ability to listen and connect.
Unrecognized accusations can shut down our holy curiosity, keeping us at arms’ distance from the soul-deep connections we desire. Knowing their source and recognizing the lie is the starting point to breaking free of their power in our lives and relationships.
A CURIOUS CONFESSION
I have a superpower: my ability to hyperfocus on a particular interest. I’ve used it all my life to hide from what felt, at times, like an unfriendly world. My special interests have morphed over time, but one thing remains true—they can drag me into a world of my invention, leaving me unable to attend to anything else, including the relationships I crave.
We can all relate to being entranced by our own interests and concerns at times. Whether it be special interests (like occurs often in my world of autism spectrum disorder), hobbies and habits (good or bad), or worldwide crises—we are quickly captivated creatures.
But my superpower of hyperfocus, more gift than foe, can sometimes lead me to vacillate between being a curious questioner or chasing relentlessly after certainty on any given topic. This vacillation has brought me to the realization that nothing kills curiosity and connection quicker than thinking I have it all figured out.
God is well aware of the human propensity to be captivated and knows we need what Scottish minister Thomas Chalmers calls the “expulsive power of a new affection.” And that new affection is Jesus.
A PROMISE AND A BLESSING
Forging meaningful connections begins with God’s captivation with us. His hyperfocus is demonstrated by His unstoppable love demonstrated through the person and work of Jesus. And it is this love that compels us to move beyond ourselves in love towards our neighbor and forge life-giving connections. Thankfully our curiosity is safe in the hands of God, whose singular focus is us—His beloved.
A BLESSING FOR HOLY CURIOSITY
I wrote this blessing for those days and seasons that attempt to harden a heart to what God softened through Jesus’ death on the cross. May we never lose our wonder.
When disinterest dulls the wonder of
the good news of His forgiveness,
may He ignite your heart with His grace,
until you are again — curious in His presence.
May He bless you with the limits of
your knowledge and understanding,
and draw you into the mysteries
of His love beyond comprehension.
With child-like amaze and wonderment,
may He lead you in discovery,
from cross to tomb to heavenly throne
until your soul’s astounded.
May His Spirit spark in your soul
a blessed inquisition,
unstoppable by human will
released from all complacence.
Come now through His humility
to witness restoration
of wisdom in a softened heart
infused with curious compassion.
And when apathy again invades your awe
silencing holy explorations,
may His glory fill your emptiness
until you are, again — curious in His presence.
