You are now challenged to NOT smile when you view the picture of Curious George! His portrait adorns the wall of my office to the delight of one of the Sinclair children, but George is gazing through his binoculars dreaming about what adventures lie ahead as a reminder to all my students, and myself, to be curious. To the right of that cute, mischievous monkey is a quote by William Arthur Ward which states, “Curiosity is the wick in the candle of learning.”

One of the pleasures of working with preschool children at church is that there is never a shortage of questions. I’ll never forget one Sunday as we were learning about how God uses rain to nourish the flowers, one of the Wysor children, clad in a firefighter jacket, asked a very inquisitive question about how the jacket protected clothes from the water. With a blank stare, I pondered a three-year-old answer, came up with nothing and asked to return to the one-year-olds. No tough questions there, they don’t talk! Although I could not retrieve a good answer for young Wysor, I appreciated the question.

At some point as we age, the questions seem to occur less and less, and I wonder whether that is due to our wealth of knowledge from years of education or if we lose a sense of curiosity at what God has created. Rather than stop and watch the colony of ants forging a trail across the road on my morning walk, I don’t break stride to consider where they are going and why. The three-year old me would have watched for an extended period of time out of curiosity and then maybe finished the walk. If you ask my parents, I’m sure they are exhausted by 48 years of my questions. Veteran members of Campers on Mission are probably tired of me asking why they chose a specific method to complete a task. If you ask one of my students, they no doubt long for me to end the use of the Socratic teaching method. But deep inside I am still curious about things, and more importantly, people. It may be buried under schedules to keep and tasks to accomplish, but it’s there.

Returning my gaze back to George on the wall of my office, I am reminded of past class discussions where students were asked what characteristic they imagine I desire to see reflected most in my students. Typical answers include submitting assignments on time (I am an ISTJ after all), engaging in class discussion, and other quality attributes, but one of the greatest desires I have of my students is that they be curious. When completing those service-learning hours at a sporting event, ask why the organizers chose to use only those particular entrances? How did the organization develop their logo and why that color scheme? A pique of curiosity along with relevant questions can open a whole world of learning about the profession. When was the last time you were curious enough about a topic to seek an answer?

One final thought on being curious and connecting it to the purpose of this blog, creating relational equity. Few things communicate to a person that you are valued more than asking genuine questions about who they are. One extremely simple approach I value which offers insight into Gen Z is to ask a question each class period on the attendance sheet. My students may not realize the value I find in random questions such as “What is your favorite flavor of ice cream?” or “Share something that made you smile today,” but I relish when students demonstrate creativity with their answers or even offer a humorous response. Occasionally, an answer opens a door for a deeper conversation at a later moment which allows for a small investment in relational equity. So, my advice for flourishing in life might be something as easy as asking a modest question of the person sitting closest to you. It might be a simple transaction that cultivates a transformational relationship.

In the comments below, feel free to share the importance of curiosity in your life and where your questions have led you.