Be Curious. Ask Questions.

It’s just a simple tag, but to some in the tiny church I attend in my little swath of the Midwest, it means a great deal.

Every year around the start of the school year, the church I attend blesses the students and staff that are in school. They also bless backpacks, praying that everyone will have a great and safe year. And every year, tags are handed out to remind students, teachers, staff, parents, and the congregation in general that they are loved and cared for, no matter what. But each year there is a different theme for the year. “You matter” and “You’ve got this” were past themes. This year’s theme is”Be Curious. Ask Questions.”

As children, we all are naturally curious. We want to know not only how the world works, but also why it works and what makes it work. We ask tons of questions, often annoying our elders, so that we can begin to seek and understand. But as we get older, previous knowledge and opinions, assumptions and even simple worries of being nosy keep us from asking questions. They keep us from learning. And that magic of wonder from childhood diminishes. Our imaginations tend to wane. We are told “that’s just the way the world is.” We are taught to fear that which we don’t understand. We come to hold preconceived notions about how things are. And we are reminded that “Curiosity killed the cat.”

But we forget to remember that “Satisfaction brought him back.”

I have always been a person who doesn’t just need to know what I need to do, but I also need to know the whys behind the what, much to the chagrin of those around me. Why does this have to be done this way? What if we did it this way instead? I know I drive my friends, my family, even my co-workers at the full time job nuts because I usually ask “why?” when told something. I have never been happy with the words “because I said so.” I have always tried to do things differently when I can, in hopes that something good will come of it. And my curiosity and even my stubbornness won’t allow me to rest until I can understand something, be it a concept that sparks my imagination or the reasoning behind why a certain event went a certain way. I want to be able to process the information I am given and keep it, which I can’t do without that why. But often, my curiousness is perceived as nosiness or judgementalism when it is not.

And sometimes, no matter what, I never find the answers. That is how life works though.

To ask questions can cause fear. Questions rattle the status quo. They change the way things are perceived. They shed light on injustices and uncomfortable things that we’d rather keep hidden. They rattle our faith.

But faith shouldn’t be afraid of curiosity. Wisdom is a gift given to us so that we can find our own path, write our own stories, make our own magic. It gives us the power to see what the world is really like, but it also allows us to have the curiosity and the imagination to make the world a better place.

To be curious is to learn the stories of others instead of holding preconcieved notions about who they are and what they do because others have said one thing or another. It’s learning to break down our own walls and letting the light shine in. Asking questions may rattle us, but those questions bring magic. Those questions bring a sense of wonder. Those questions help to shape us into who we could be rather than what others think we already are.

Be curious.

Ask questions.

Wonder.

It makes the world a more magical place.

Stay magical, friends.

Write your own story.

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