The Power of Curiosity
“If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus.” — From Philippians 2:1–13
This beautiful text from Philippians encourages us to step outside our own perspective and attempt to have the mind of Christ. This can be somewhat intimidating. How can we possibly know the mind of God? I don’t hear this exhortation as an easily achievable goal. I suspect that totally abandoning the self is neither possible nor, frankly, desirable. We’ve all been made in the image of God, and so we need the remarkable and different perspectives we all bring to fully be the Body of Christ.
When I think of this text as a posture or way of life—it opens a bit. How do I know what is in someone else’s interests? When did I become stuck in my own view and stop challenging myself to step outside of my own perspective? This text reminds us that to be more Christ-like—a central tenet of our faith—means we must always expand our experience of God and neighbor.
So how do we approach this? I imagine it begins with a willingness to hear others’ stories while taking the risk to tell my own. In the hearing and the telling, I must remain curious and genuinely present when someone else’s interests are shared. The more different from my own experience a story is, the more I must remain curious and attentive before jumping to judgment or comparison. This happens in our daily lives, but it can also happen through reading fiction, traveling, or praying imaginatively with scripture. Anything that supports us seeing and hearing the way the Spirit is moving is a way to put on the mind of Christ.
It also requires slowing down. I need to make sure there is time for genuine dialogue and listening and space for reflection. Last Sunday in Adult Formation we took some time to hear from one another about times when we realized we were all connected. When the tables reported back, what was striking was how many people noted that the experiences people shared were so different and yet demonstrated connection. Small groups are a wonderful way to foster this practice of curiosity.
If I’ve not heard something surprising in the course of a week, or found myself curious, maybe it’s an invitation to return to this text. Perhaps I should ask someone to lunch or carve out time to check in with someone I know is going through a hard time. What are the ways you connect outside of yourself?
Peace, Beth+
