Last week, I wrote on Centered Set versus Bounded Set thinking as it relates to how we view decisions in life, specifically this year’s elections. Once you fully comprehend how to think this way, it can change how you view much in life. I did not intend to say that nothing in life is bounded. Surely, some things are bounded, but I would suggest there are fewer than most of us think.
For me, the primary way we know the difference is curiosity. When we approach a situation as if we know everything influencing our decisions, we will tend to adopt a fixed mindset. However, when we approach a decision to learn rather than confirm what to believe, we often find our perspective grows larger in the process.
Obviously, there are many individuals who think they know all they need to know to function through life. If this is the case, these people respond quickly to others without thinking of the merits of what has been said. They are often thinking of their response before the other person is completed saying anything. I am the worst of all sinners in this behavior. For much of my life, I would think of a quick response to support my position or substantiate my conclusion rather than truly hearing what a person had to say. It was a major breakthrough for me to not think about what I wanted to say next until I had fully listened to what they said, reflected on it, and then responded to their thoughts. It radically changed the way I interact with people. I learned to be curious and stopped being right.
I had this happen to me several times during this election season. Recently I was dismissed in the midst of my conversation with a person because a statement I made sounded too much like the candidate they didn’t support. I was suprised as I had never heard this person speak on the subject, and I felt like there was no consideration given to the merit of my thoughts.
I wanted to discuss my perspective with this person whom I admired, but instead, they dismissed my thoughts as wrong. In retrospect, it would have been much better had the other person responded, “That is interesting; what makes you say that?” I would then have had the opportunity to share my thoughts on why I said what I did.
I believe we, as Christians, are prone to this “being right” more than being curious. As I have written elsewhere, we have truth in the Scriptures as the basis for our faith which gives us confidence and security in a world of chaos around us. We know the truth, and we know how the story ends. The Apostle John writes, “To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, ‘If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’” (John 8.31-32) As we learn from his teachings, we can be confident, curious, and free in our faith.
Yet our faith must be growing throughout our lives. As long as we have breath we are to learn more from God’s Word through the Spirit of God and have it inform our faith. My faith has grown greatly over the last 50 years as I have learned to ask questions of God and his Word and listen through his Spirit. There is so much I don’t know about faith and our God. Let’s face it: the moment you have God all figured out is when your God is no bigger than your brain. At that point, your God is finite because your finite brain can fully comprehend him. I am sorry, but my God is infinite and bigger than any of our brains. Otherwise, he isn’t a God worth worshipping.
I believe this is why the Apostle Paul says, “For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears…For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.” (1 Corinthians 13.9-10 & 12)
So, how do we continue to grow in our faith? For me, it takes the discipline of being curious and asking questions instead of giving answers. Jesus was fully God and fully man, so if anyone knew the answers to all of life’s questions, he did. However, “Jesus is asked 183 questions in the Gospels. He answers just 3 of them—and he asks 307 questions back! As our friend Tom says, ‘Jesus does not have Q and A sessions. He has Q and Q sessions.’” (I Once Was Lost, by Everts & Schuapp, p. 54)
Think on that…when Jesus was asked questions, 98.5% of the time, he responded with a question.
Jesus used questions to respond to his critics, disciples, onlookers, antagonists, and murderers. I suspect Jesus was curious, despite knowing all there was to know. He also knew that people learn best as they are able to integrate new information in a non-threatening way. Jesus presented truth in a manner that allowed each individual to wrestle with the truth. Jesus asked questions for others to learn rather than just dispensing knowledge.
This has been hard for me as I want people to think I am smart, so I give a lot of information. I am still learning to be curious and ask more questions. This is because I am learning that it ultimately only matters what Jesus thinks about me, not what others do.
I know this is critically important for all as followers of Christ in our current cultural context. It is election week as I write this, and almost half of this nation are now deeply disturbed by the results. Who else but avid followers of Jesus can bring faith, hope and love to others because we are curious and peacefully ask questions.
- Our Faith is not in our President but in Christ,
- Our Hope is not in things going like we desire but in God’s promises, and
- Our Love is not conditional on others treating us well but results from God’s eternal love of us.
I am curious, free, and full of hope even in these times. I have a lot to learn, and I will keep asking questions.
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