#WISDOMSample

Curiosity is the Fuel for Wisdom

“Curiosity killed the cat.”

Have you ever said this phrase? Did you know that when you used the phrase, you used it out of context?

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the popular version of this phrase is an abridged version of the longer statement that reads: “Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back.”

Don’t get me wrong, curiosity can be a dangerous thing if it is left unchecked and is recklessly handled. Yet, if it wasn’t for curiosity, I can guarantee you that we would have never landed on the moon, the United States of America wouldn’t be here, and no one would have ever tried a mushroom to see if they were delicious or deadly.

When curiosity is channeled in the right direction, it is an extremely beneficial force in our lives. I would go so far to say that curiosity is the fuel that runs wisdom. Without curiosity, we can have no wisdom. Being curious about the right thing, though, is the difficult part to keep in check.

We have so many messages, stories, and so much eye candy constantly berating us that it’s easy to become curious about the wrong things. Recently, I heard some great advice to combat this very natural tendency to be distracted by less important things. The advice was, “We need to focus on nuance over novelty.”

What they were saying is that if you want to gain wisdom, then you need to learn to focus on the important things of life from different angles. Then, as you look at the different angles or nuances, you will be able to gain a deeper level of wisdom from your curiosity that you didn’t have before.

So you are probably wondering where God would want you to direct your curiosity. Lucky for you Proverbs 30:5 has some great advice. It says, “Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.” If you are looking for a place to be curious, the best place that you could start would be by being curious about what God has said through the Bible. What you will find is an incredible journey that leads you to deeper and deeper curiosity about what God is doing in the world.

When you stay curious (especially about Scripture) and choose nuance over novelty, you will gain a level of satisfaction that is much more than any cat could ever find.