Curious Enough to Check It Out?
Recently, Carol and I had the opportunity to visit our #8 (of 9) grandchild, daughter, and son-in-law in the cold northern USA. The snow was beautiful; the cold was not! This toddler we got to hold …briefly … was curious about almost everything. When he was free to roam, his curiosity led him on explorations and adventures: his toys, books, the cats, the steps, and especially the train clock that startled us at the top of every hour with its very loud train sounds including three sharp blasts of a train horn. Every top of the hour when that clock “struck”, he would get big eyed, reach up to be carried by one of his adult entourage, since that was faster than his walking could get him there, and off we’d go to finish listening to the clock’s sound of the train rumbling down the track.
He lives in curious wonder and sleeps long enough to gather his strength, eats enough to give him energy, and off he goes again to explore all the way to the boundaries set up for his safety with which he doesn’t always agree. My question for us this week is “Are you curious?” I don’t mean are we strange. That’s a topic for another day! I mean what captures your attention and motivates you to look deeper and invest time?
My guess is that you and I have shared some common topics of interest in our lives. Over the span of our lives we’ve “checked out” our share of people, places, things, and ideas. Early on we were captivated by our mom, dad, siblings, home, foods, outdoors, books, pets, then perhaps by sports, friends, trees, bicycles, games, new food, vacation spots, drama, more serious athletics, and maybe even science, creation, God, the Bible, church, Jesus Himself, Holy Spirit, heaven, hell, mercy, forgiveness, marriage, relationships, parenting, and I could go on. What did I leave off the list that captured your attention and merited your investment of time and resources to check it out?
In my teen and young adult years, girls captured my attention often to the point of displacing my curiousity about God, my faith, my studies, etc. I was so captivated by this creature – so different from myself – that I wanted to know more. After finding the love of my life – Carol – she continued to hold a position of high priority, but you know what happens next. Right? Finishing our college degrees captured our time and attention; making a living, having children, rearing children, trying to maintain social life and other relationships, family issues, illnesses, aging parents, growing children, preparing for their launch from home, jobs, ministry, being empty nesters, and again – I could go on, but that’s enough to remind us that life’s focus changes -with time.
Here’s my bottom line today: We have choices about what we are curious? You may have 100 interests or 1 or none; but you and I can discover (re-discover) some things we must “check out” for ourselves. May I suggest a few as starting (re-starting) places? What about your relationship with Jesus Christ? Are now or have you been curious enough to investigate Him for yourself – not to teach something or tell someone necessarily but to have the assurance that He loves you, died and rose again to have you in His forever family, wants the best for you, and eventually wants you to be with Him in heaven in a place He is preparing for you? Wouldn’t He deserve to be an person of interest to you? Is He? Are you curious?
Oh, I could say much more than I will today, but if loving God is the greatest commandment and loving others as yourself is second in importance in Jesus; own words (Matthew 22:37-39), my next question may be both convicting and I hope convincing: Are you still curious enough to investigate the heart and soul of your spouse, child, friends, family members, and yes even your own heart? What occupies your time? Where are your curiosities taking you? What is your next adventure?
As a senior adult, I, catch myself investing time in topics that are good to investigate but perhaps not best. I am searching for a healthy place to stay curious about the world and its politics, cultures, our history, entertainment, and new technologies and amazing discoveries; but I don’t want to neglect the most important relationships with Jesus, Carol, our children, neighbors, and friends. After all, the quality of our relationships is of utmost value to God and to those who love us and truly want to know us well. There may not be very many of those people who take the time to initiate with you…making you a person of interest and curiousity ; so you and I need to be the instigators, initiators, and curiousity seekers. Where will you begin? Jesus? Friend/spouse? Friend/child? Friend/family? You get to choose and in fact you already are!