Photo by Chase Clark on Unsplash

THE POWER OF CURIOSITY

We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we’re curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths. — Walt Disney

What interests me in life is curiosity, challenges, the good fight with its victories and defeats. — Paulo Coelho

This morning is a reflection of the power of curiosity and why it is the common theme of the greats. I’ve noticed in my own life when I become rigid in ideas and processes, I leave myself open for defeat. Problems are solved by curious minds.

It’s funny, because even when I cycle, I’m curious about where I am going. If my route takes me one way, my mind wonders if there is a better way, a different way, a more scenic way — I love how my mind seeks for new. This is the essence of curiosity.

If you have children or around them, watch as their curious minds bounce from one idea to the next. They imagine new ways to play with toys or even inventing ways to play with Amazon boxes. I absolutely love these beautiful atributes of children. And why can we not do the same? Why can we not think of new ways to view our circumstances, friends, work mates or even family members? Why do we lose curiosity with the ones we love most?

Here is what Samuel Johnson has to say about curiosity:

Curiosity is one of the most permanent and certain characteristics of a vigorous intellect.

Our minds are muscles and being curious is a sure way to strengthen it. Think about what you are genuinely curious about today? Maybe you’ve lost some of that curiosity. If you have, think about why it has been eroded? If you want to gain more curiosity, then you are already on your way to getting it back. We become what we think about most. So, if we want more curiosity, we must learn to be curious. We must think like a child. We must let our guards down. We must be open in our minds and thinking. Curiosity is in our home, our cars and at our workplace. You may think it’s hiding but it’s not. Curiosity is just waiting for you to find her.

Before I head off into my day, I want to explore three curious people in the Bible. There is so much more I’d love to search out but for now, I’ll settle on these:

1. Jesus — What I can remember most about Jesus was a story about how is parents lost him. I think the story goes that they were going to passover with a large group of people. Mary thought he was with someone and Joseph did the same. Common parenting mistake, except there were no cell phones or internet. They literally lost the Messiah, how about that for parenting. Ha! However, after searching for Jesus, they found him in the temple. Why? Because Jesus was curious. He had this craving for knowledge and fulfilling all he was called to be. His curious 12 year old mind brought him to the temple. He craved more and I love that.
2. Niccademus — This guy was a super religous dude who was eye balling everything about Jesus. The way he walked, talked, gathered and healed people — Niccademus was memsmerized. However, since Jesus was sort of taboo at the time, Nick was scared to talk to him. He feared it could tarnish his reputation. However, curiosity took over and he visited Jesus in the night. Nick needed to know for himself. I believe this curiosity about Jesus ultimately changed his live forever. Not a bad deal for curiosity.
3. Zaccheus — What’s not to love about Zach. This short little man has songs sung about him in Children’s Church. If you’re old enough like me, you can sing along. “Zaccheus was a wee little man and a wee little man was he. He climbed up into a sychamore tree for the Lord he wanted to see.” Ha! That basically sums it up, but you have to remember that Zach was a tax collector. He was anti what Jesus was doing — BUT he was curious. He was so curious, he climbed into a tree to hear Jesus preach and heal people. Then, Jesus spotted him, walked over and said to him, “I’m coming to your house today for dinner.” Jesus was doing something no religious Jew would ever dare to do. If there was ever a curiosity explosion — this was the one. Jesus was curious enough to dare to enter a tax collectors home. He could be ridiculed forever — and he was. And we have Zack, who was curious enough to climb a tree to see Jesus. This act of climbing a tree, changed his life forever. It could be said, it changed the course of his family heritage forever. Think about that for a second.

So, as you go into your day — what can curiosity create for you today? How could it change the course of your life and your families life? I don’t know, but based on history, I know it can. And I 🤬 love every bit of that.