Teaching Summary: Get Curious
Every one of us is in a different place on our spiritual journey. Some are starting — exploring faith, asking questions, trying to figure out what life with Jesus is all about. Some are stalling — believers who are doing okay but wouldn’t say they’re thriving spiritually. Things feel steady but flat, with little movement or passion. Some are stuck — facing roadblocks, feeling frustrated or tired, wondering why it all feels harder than it used to. God sees us in all these places. We’re not alone.
When we feel stalled or stuck, it’s easy to believe that what we need is more certainty. That if we just had more answers, if we were more sure, if we eliminated all the unknowns, we could move forward into growth and fruitfulness. But often, what’s missing isn’t certainty — it’s curiosity.
Curiosity is a key ingredient of a thriving, vibrant faith. Jesus invites us into it when He says, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you” (Matthew 7:7-8). His invitation isn’t to eliminate uncertainty but to engage it — to stay open, to keep asking, seeking, knocking, and trusting that God meets us in our curiosity.
Certainty is like an anchor. It holds us steady in what is unchanging: God’s character as gracious, compassionate, and abounding in love; Jesus as Lord and risen Savior; the good news of grace; our identity in Christ as beloved, forgiven, and made new. These truths are not up for grabs. They steady us when the storms come.
But boats aren’t called anchor boats. They’re called sailboats. Boats are made to move. And curiosity is like the sail — when we raise it, we catch the wind of the Spirit and move forward into discovery, meaning, and purpose. Life with Jesus is an adventure on the high seas, not a boat slip in the marina.
The problem comes when we drop the anchor where we should be raising the sail. When we become certain about things that are better left open to curiosity, we stop listening, stop learning, stop growing. Faith becomes rigid, proud, defensive, small. We may feel anxious or defensive when people express different views. We may judge people, feelings, or situations in black-and-white terms, with little room for complexity or grace. We may stop asking questions, resist new invitations from God, or feel stuck and disconnected from His movement in our lives.
At the same time, we drift when we raise the sail where God has given us solid truth to stand on — when we start questioning what should be our anchor: His goodness, His love, the gospel, His promises.
Faith flourishes when we know where to drop the anchor and where to hoist the sail. The stronger and deeper our anchor in God’s unchanging truth, the freer and braver we can be in hoisting the sail of curiosity, trusting the Spirit to lead us forward into all God has for us.
This week, take a moment each day to ask: Where do I need to drop the anchor of certainty? Where is God inviting me to hoist the sail of curiosity? Let’s be people who are rooted in truth and ready for the adventure of following Jesus wherever He leads.
