Baxter has a build-in curiosity. He loves to explore both new places and revisit old ones to see what might be new. He sits and cries before a closed door wondering what lies hidden behind it. He surveys closets to see if any new items are living there. He loves to go into the basement and reconnoiter this underground maze to see if anything has changed from the last visit. If I have lost something under a piece of furniture and I hunch on the floor looking for it, Baxter is next to me exploring the hidden spaces. Even though he doesn’t know what he is looking for, he loves the hunt. His curiosity is never satisfied.
Children have an innate curiosity too. They want to know how something works, what’s in the cupboards, who is across the street, why the sky is blue. While their inquisitiveness can drive every parent crazy with fear of harm, it also is the key to their later success in school and in the work place. Curiosity is a key to initiative and innovation. When we explore new possibilities we learn and grow to understand the world more.
When we think new thoughts we find new solutions to old problems, and we open new avenues for knowledge and skills. Think of how the computer revolution developed. Curiosity feeds our zest for living by refusing to box life into a set of rules and routines that are never questioned.
Are we curious about God? Do we use our minds and imaginations to explore new aspects of this ultimate mystery of life? Or do we settle for the old answers we learned as a kid and the traditional routines we follow every day, week or year? Without curiosity, our faith grows stale and confined. It can begin to look like a museum piece rather than a living force to guide our lives. Faith engages the world to find the hidden treasures of God’s hand at work there. Before it dismisses or condemns, it first wants to understand what is happening and uncover whatever is good, true and beautiful about it. Then it works at shaping whatever is newly discovered according to God’s ways and purposes.
Of course, there are dangers of straying from the traditions that hold us together and in touch with God, but there are also dangers in not exploring. We can separate ourselves from the real concerns of our fellow human beings, and lock ourselves into a comfortable but artificial world of sacred jargon, artifacts and rituals. These may reassure us, but they may just look archaic and idiosyncratic to many people. Our job is to show the living God Who speaks and acts in the workings of our Church.
Curiosity can kill the cat, but it also can make it happy and a delight to those who witness its explorations. A curious faith rooted in a community of believers and its primary tradition is more attractive still. It connects to people where they live each day, and it brings them hope and encouragement based on God. So open some new doors, look beyond the sanctuary furniture, come alive with the living God at work in our world making it new. It’s a curious thing.
