When I was little curiosity was my second name. I would constantly ask why. Why does the Earth move in circles? Why do we have seasons? Over the years I have forgot the fascination of curiosity. It wasn’t until I was in Vietnam I was reminded of it’s beauty.
Curiosity is an alluring phenomenon. It is a mind wanting to know more. It is like a person hungry for more wisdom to be fed. It is a heart waiting on the edge of it’s seat to find out of how the love story ends. It is eyes forgetting about everything else in the room eager to find the answer and ending to a suspenseful story.
This month I am an English teacher in a conversation room to share Jesus’ love in this closed country filled with such beautiful people and stories. Every day the people in this room ask questions taking one step closer to satisfying their curious ears but then step into the comfort of what they are used to. But today was different. Today they were hungry to venture away from the shore. They let curiosity sweep their hearts away by the tide and they would forever be changed because of it.
Because of their curiosity they start asking me about my faith with eyes full of wonder. And so we talk. I felt like I was being interviewed on Ellen. They ask why I pray. They ask why Jesus had to come down on this earth and die for us. They ask about who the Holy Spirit is. They hear from a Buddhist man who my teammate has been pouring into with answers to questions. A Buddhist man shares the Christian gospel in the speaking room. You don’t hear that everyday.
They ask how you get to heaven if it’s not your own works or anything you do. And so I share Romans 10:9. The man goes that’s all you have to do? Yes. That’s how much God wants to be in relationship with you. God is constantly on His knee proposing to you, not for a moment but for a lifetime waiting for you to say yes. Waiting for you to run into His arms and say yes I am willing to give you all of my pain and earthly heart for you to give me joy because you are with me forever and always. And the beautiful thing is that it is even better than this, the most the human mind can relate it to is marriage but it is even greater and beautiful to live in unity with your creator, protector, and savior. Next to me an agnostic man turns to me and says, “That is the most beautiful love story I’ve ever heard.” And it is then I realize, yes! Yes it is the most beautiful love story anyone has ever heard or experienced.
I have heard this love story my whole life. For parts of my life I have denied the existence of this story and deemed it fictional. For other parts I have restrained the beauty of it and only put it in a box for safety so it didn’t change my life. It’s not until I’m sitting next to a man telling me that it’s the most beautiful love story that I fall deeper in love with Jesus. See Jesus’ love never changes for us. Only our perspective does. Only our view on how much He loves us changes. His love is infinite and our mind is limiting. What is one way we can broaden our perspective and fall more in love with Jesus every day? Curiosity.
Curiosity is not to prove a point but to widen perspective. Curiosity is not for our own comfort to seek solutions that “make sense” but to go deeper into the unknown that doesn’t make sense to our human mind. Ask these questions with the intent for these questions not to be answered in the way we expect but in a way unexpected. Just like how I’ve been asking the Lord to help deepen my understanding of His love for me and He showed me through a Buddhist man sharing the gospel and an agnostic telling me how the gospel was the most beautiful love story he’s heard.
Let my eyes twinkle with curiosity. Let me always have a heart that wants to grow through the most unexpected people and stories. Let my life be a representation for how my most beautiful parts of my life are the shattered pieces that now have purpose and life where there is no shame. Let me always be amazed at a beautiful love story. Let me always simply be used as a pen for people all over the world writing Gods love story.
