As we begin, think with me..What are the questions of life you want answered?
Now, let's hear a few of them. I asked some people this week and here's what they said:
Why is the sky blue?
How do they get the caramilk into the Caramilk bar?
Why can't men just understand women?
Why would anyone choose to drive a Chevy or Ford truck when clearly Dodges are superior to both?
Why is there even such a thing as a 6 oz. steak when it could so easily be 8 or 10 or 12 or 24 ounces?
Folks, asking questions is part of the design of our lives. This weekend, we're talking about curiosity. I gotta be honest..it's been a whole lot of fun to put together.
A couple weeks ago, this Bible verse was pointed out to me - when this subject of curiosity came up..
"It is God's privilege to conceal things and the king's privilege to discover them." - Proverbs 25:2
Now I gotta admit when I read it I had some questions. Why is it that discovering new things is called a privilege? And why does God conceal stuff?..Is it all a big game to Him? So I thought about that for a while.(repeat verse). Then the obvious answers came to me. Life would be pretty boring if there was nothing left to learn..and would we really want to know everything about life on the front end? I think not..That might be just a bit overwhelming..
Then came one more answer - it's in the design. Curiosity and continuous learning and asking questions are all part of our makeup..part of our image. That's what that verse means..that we all have been designed by God with a continuous learning part to us..
A research and development department has been designed in the very fabric of who we are. And it is a very natural human response to continuously uncover the mysteries of life..and yet a privilege..because of the fulfillment that comes from learning.
I had someone ask me - why is the subject of curiosity so important. Why are we taking a whole weekend on it? Is it really a spiritual topic? Well..this whole 4 week series of messages is about full potential living..About developing more completely the image of God within us..And folks, the reality is - everything from our emotions, to our knowledge intake is part of that image and therefore very close to the heart of God for our lives..And I would suggest this: Any time we are seeking to understand more fully the image of God within us..Any time we are seeking to live out more completely the life He has given us..Any time we are increasing our potential in life..Then we are also walking directly in the path God has chosen and created us for..
Here's what Leonardo da Vinci called it - Curiosità - An insatiably curious approach to life and an unrelenting quest for continuous learning.
Today I simply want to uncover a few ideas about curiosity and truth..and how these are connected to the image of God within us. Let's talk first about developing curiosity and how that might happen.
I. Wake Up Learning
Proverbs 2:1-5 says this, "My child, listen to me and treasure my instructions. Tune your ears to wisdom, and concentrate on understanding. Cry out for insight and understanding. Search for them as you would for lost money or hidden treasure. Then you will understand what it means to fear the Lord, and you will gain the knowledge of God."
I love the book of Proverbs. It's a great book to read every day - here's why: Because it has verse after verse of practical daily wisdom for life..The first one being: "Cry out for insight and understanding. Search for them as you would for lost money or hidden treasure." What Solomon was saying was this..wake up every day with a desire to learn. Wake up with a desire to know more and learn more about how to live more skillfully this day..than the day before..
I had a great chance to apply this on Wednesday in Norquay, Saskatchewan..where Don Pogoda and I were building a fence..On Wednesday we built over 2 miles of fence on the dirtiest day of the year. But I approached the day wanting to learn. See, I'm not so handy with building things - working with my hands is a weakness, not a strength for me. So the night before I left for Norquay I had my brother come and show me how he tightens barb wire so the fence wouldn't sag. Did you know that with 2 simple sticks you can tighten over ¼ mile of fence by yourself..(a lesson passed on from my grandpa to my dad to my brothers and me.) - great thing to know. Then came the work day..First things first - the guy who owns the land we were fencing is 79 years old. Now, he's seen a lot of farming - a lot of fence, and a lot of young guys who wanted to rush out and build a fence because they only had 1 day set aside in their schedule. And he wasn't in a big hurry. He said, "Follow me," and as he drove out of the yard I knew the first thing I needed to learn was to slow down and enjoy the ride. He drove 50 km an hour all the way to the work site. Don and I just laughed.
Don said, "I bet this is the slowest you've ever driven on a highway in your whole life." Well no question..but I was relaxed when I got there and it was a great day. I learned a lot on Wednesday.
- Like how harsh the wind can be and how destructive.
- Like what a joy it is to eat when you're hungry - even when you're sitting on the ground.
- Like the pride you feel at a job well done.
- Or the glint in an old man's eye when a long-term goal is reached.
- Or the joy in his step when he was doing what he loved to do.
And I learned about how to pace my work. I was faster than that old man in the morning, but by 6:00 that night, he had more reserve than me..and I was all done..slow and steady wins the race..What a great day. Folks, no matter what the task, no matter what the day, if you wake up learning, you'll be more fulfilled by the end of it. Here's a couple more thoughts on this..
Why not keep a journal - or a notebook just to write down thoughts or ideas or learnings or questions that come to you as you walk through your day. Maybe something you've seen that you want to learn more about..or something you've heard that made you ask why..or a conversation that made you aware of something new..or a feeling or impression that you got from seeing something of beauty..See, to take note of things as they occur is a great way to learn and remember..Again - this week I have been reading about Leonardo da Vinci's life..
This too was a habit of da Vinci's (journaling)..And by then end of his life, there were over 7,000 pages of his thoughts and ideas and learnings from which many books have been written..Now, to hone this side of life effectively requires time and space in your everyday life..and in our culture today, the question needs to be asked..
Do you take the time - or make the time in your schedule - for contemplation and reflection? I believe one of the saddest aspects of our fast-paced, high-tech, instant society is that we've lost touch with thinking/contemplating/reflecting on our own. Here's a suggestion - try going low-tech with this one. Find some regular space during your day to reflect..and then use a pen (I know, it's a novel idea)..and write down those reflections - the process will be a learning all in itself.
Another way to wake up learning is to simply ask lots of questions. And if you want to learn the art of asking questions, watch and listen to a child. Kaden is 5 years old and he is the definition of curious.."Where does this come from daddy?" "Why does that thing make that sound?" "Why is that guy limping?" "Where does an apple come from?" "And what makes yogurt?"
The other day he asked me if I could help him learn to speak French.. and me being the incredible linguist that I am taught him the only 2 phrases I know. And now he knows as much as I do.
Kids have an amazing capacity to ask questions..In fact, from birth and even before birth, a baby's every sense is attuned to exploring and learning. And the best way children learn is by getting their curious questions answered..And again, we have much to learn from our children.
What I find sad is that often we adults quit asking questions. Maybe we're too tired to ask, or maybe we think we should know all the answers, or maybe we're just shy Canadians. Either way, it stunts our ability to learn.
Here's what I believe - Wisdom for life is hidden behind questions. A couple thoughts on this..
1. 100 Questions
Here's a project - It'll take about ½ an hour. In your curiosity journal (ideas notebook), sit down and write out a list of 100 questions that are important to you..Any question is ok..Write them quickly - don't worry about spelling or grammar or repeats. Just write.
Now in those questions, you will find a pattern of themes..And it's the themes you want to find answers to. Simply asking the questions may be part of the answer. You know, I am an embarrassing guy to travel with sometimes - because I want to know stuff. My wife always gets embarrassed by the silly question I ask - at gas stations or from hotel clerks or waitresses. But to me, I just want to know stuff about wherever we are. Kaden comes by it naturally, perhaps.
2. Find a Mentor
This is another way to get some questions answered in life. And folks, it's simply. Find someone smarter than you and ask them if you can learn from them. Coffee once a week - dialogue..I do this with several people quite regularly. I meet with smarter leaders than me. I meet with smarter dad's than me. I meet with smarter theologians than me. I meet with smarter pastors than me. I meet with smarter husbands than me. Why? So I can get my questions answered about things like leadership, parenting, marriage, theology, business, or my job. Sometimes you don't even have to ask that many questions. Sometimes all you have to do is listen and you'll be amazed at what you learn.
Curiosity and wisdom go hand in hand..and if you wake up learning you will also be sharpening the image of God within you..(Curiosita Self-Assessment - handout - a good tool to just check how much of a learner you are or want to be).
Listen again to the wisdom of Solomon. "My child, listen to me and treasure my instructions. Tune your ears to wisdom, and concentrate on understanding...Search for them as you would for lost money or hidden treasure. Then you will understand what it means to fear the Lord, and you will gain the knowledge of God." - Proverbs 2:1-5
Full potential living begins by every day waking up learning..
The second way to develop the curiosity within us is what I call
II. First Time Learning
"My child, never forget the things I have taught you. Store my commands in your heart, for they will give you a long and satisfying life." - Proverbs 3:1-2.
My dad was a pretty easy guy to live with and a good guy to learn from and work with - unless he saw you making the same mistake 2 or 3 times..He'd say, "Don't you remember what happened the last time you did that? Don't you remember I already showed you that?" Now you gotta understand, my dad wasn't really mad with all those words, he just wanted me to have a long and satisfying life. My dad had some great lines..He'd say:
Measure twice cut once.
Lift with your knees not with your back.
Less bullets more birds.
Let me guess, "Every time you cut that board it was too short."
My dad also really believed in learning by doing - that the best way to learn was through experience. And so he and mom would put us into many different and varied learning opportunities - sink or swim kinda stuff - and we always learned much more by the experience, not the lesson.
Here's the word da Vinci used for developing these 2 sides of life - Dimostrazione - A commitment to test knowledge through experience, and a willingness to learn from mistakes. Think about this and help me with it.
What makes a teacher great? More than anything else, it is the ability to help the student learn for himself. "The finest teachers know that experience is the source of wisdom." Dimostrazione - is the ability to hold past mistakes and experience as key components for learning..(hole in the sidewalk story in handout). This really connected with me. It's been on my wall for 3 years:
1. I walk down the street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I fall in. I am lost. I am helpless. It isn't my fault. It takes forever to find a way out.
2. I walk down the street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I pretend I don't see it. I fall in. I can't believe I'm in the same place, but it isn't my fault. It still takes a long time to get out.
3. I walk down the street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I see it is there. I still fall in. It's a habit. My eyes are open. I know where I am. It is my fault. I get out immediately.
4. I walk down the street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I walk around it.
5. I walk down a different street.
It's interesting to me how long we human beings take to walk down a different street.
Now think about this - who are some of the people in your life you look up to the most for wisdom in living? (Picture their faces.) Now, what is it that has made them wise? Inevitably, it is 2 things.
- Living through the experiences of life (whether good or bad) and learning from those experiences.
- Having made mistakes - they are fully willing to learn from them - and their life is wiser and better because of those mistakes.
Those people tend to have a profound impact on other people..on us..so the question is how do I become a person demonstrating this kind of continuous learning and improvement?
Here's a couple more thoughts on this:
1. Analyze your mistakes.
You know, very seldom do we take the time in life after a significant blunder or mistake to mentally analyze what happened and what we need to do to ensure it won't happen again. I mean, lots of time we feel our mistakes. "Wow, I don't ever want to feel or hurt or sense that again," but what I'm talking about is different. I'm talking about changing our behavior after a mistake - not just licking our wounds. I'm talking about keeping a file on the things we've done that we can learn from so we don't do them again. Folks, without careful self-analysis, the same hole will surely find us again. We must analyze and learn from our mistakes.
Here's another way to be a consistent learner.
2. Continuously try new things.
There are a couple parts to this.
- Experience new paths.
You are never too late to try something new. And it's in the next new learning that we develop our lives and minds. The very best model I have ever seen in my life in a corporate sense is this church. Lakeview Church is always and has always been unafraid to do and try the next thing we need to do together - to chase after the call of God in our lives..It's a value we share. We'll do whatever we need to do or become to follow the call God has placed on us.
Now, personally there's a hundred different ways to develop this. You could.
Learn another language, go back to university, start a small
business, begin to develop a new product line, write, run a
marathon, restore an old car.
- Ask questions as you go - you don't have to just learn from
mistakes.
"Plans go wrong for lack of advice; many counselors bring success." - Proverbs 15:22
My point is very simple. Don't be afraid of the next new thing. Don't be afraid of your past mistakes - learn from them instead. And develop intentionally your ability to learn by experience. Why? Because wisdom follows all these things.
Here's the third aspect of developing life-long learning.
III. Challenge Your Existing Beliefs.
Listen to these verses:
"Instruct a wise man and he will be wiser still; teach a righteous man and he will add to his learning." - Proverbs 9:9
"It is better to be a poor but wise youth than to be an old and foolish king who refused all advice." - Ecclesiastes 4:13
"God has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end." - Ecclesiastes 3:11
There's an old saying that goes like this.."If you think you know it all, you don't know it all, so don't be a know it all."
You know what I love most about this journey of faith we're on following Jesus? The more that I get to know about the life of faith, the more I realize there is to know. This journey of faith walks on a road that never ends. Wisdom does not come all at once..and it's a good thing it doesn't..but wisdom also doesn't remain static..If you think you know all there is to know on a subject, you become closed to learning anything new on it. And if there is anything we need to be aware of these days, it is how much knowledge and experience changes what we think we know..
Here's what I mean..technology is advancing nearly every segment of our society. If we have a belief that computers just aren't going to affect our lives, or that we don't need them to live successfully (as I have often said), well guess what? We've got our heads in the sand.and guess what? Again, I was wrong and now I gotta play catch up - or be lost to a huge portion of life learning. And I needed to challenge my existing beliefs about technology..Now how about challenging other areas of life and belief?
- What I believe about work - can anyone who doesn't sweat really be considered working?
- What I believe about politics - that my vote won't make a difference.
- What I believe about Saskatchewan - that if I really want to make money I better go to Calgary - 'cause Saskatchewan will never change.
- What I believe about faith and the church - like Christianity is based on certain rules..Like what we wear or what we say or what we sing or how much money we give - these kind of thoughts need to be challenged in our minds.
Or how about challenging our thoughts about Lakeview Church? We say we believe that the church community is for others to come and join, but then our assumption is that they have to think and look and act like us if they're gonna be part of this.
We desire to have effective worship for everyone - Worship services need to look and sound and be a certain way, or include certain things or it's not worship. To me that's a tough one, because we are such a diverse crowd. How can everyone connect with God together unless we're challenging some of our existing assumptions?
This, folks, is a really big deal. In all areas of life, our human tendency is to build a certain set of assumptions and beliefs that we base our life on. Now this is all great..if the base we are building on is truth. So today I'm telling you to ask questions and challenge your existing beliefs and learn from mistakes..but how do we actually do that? What filter can we use to sift through what is truth in our life from that which is simply a human assumption? John Wesley - founder of the Methodist Church - an incredible thinker - a world changer - developed a measuring tool for how to measure life decisions and truth. And very quickly I want to describe it for you. I think all this curiosity stuff is a loss without it..Honestly, there is no point in challenging our beliefs without a solid base.
Wesley said this..there are 4 quadrants in which we need to run our ideas and life assumptions through in order to ensure truth comes out the other side.
Wesley's Quadrilateral:
LIFE
SCRIPTURE |
REASON |
TRADITION |
EXPERIENCE |
TRUTH
The first quadrant is scripture. Wesley did not believe these 4 things to be equal. He believed the Bible/scripture to be the single biggest filter for truth in our lives. That is the place to go to for separating fact and fiction in our lives. It's the place to go to to set our value system and our relational and family system. It is the key source of truth for life. I can't emphasize that enough. If you want a base on which to build your life and your life learning, if you want a place to get your questions answered..go to the Bible first and foremost.
Then Wesley said the second truth screen is reason. Does what you're learning make sense? Can you work it through logically? Any new learning should connect with our minds in a reasonable way..If it isn't reasonable, perhaps it needs to be studied more.
Thirdly, Wesley said experience also has to line up. Is this new thinking or learning in line with the truth you hold and have held in the rest of your life? Is it in line with your life experience personally? And if it doesn't line up, maybe it needs to be looked at closer.
Fourth, Wesley said tradition is also a screen to put new ideas and learning through. This is especially true in the church. Any new thought or style of worship has to be laid against the solid background of 2000 years of tradition. Now, notice that tradition here isn't based on 20 or 30 or 40 years. It's based on a couple thousand - so that our existing generational likes or dislikes will not hinder change - but only that which goes against 2000 years of solid history.will be questioned as being true and right.
So Wesley said that if you have some learning that you want to apply as truth in your life, walk it through these quadrants. Does scripture acknowledge it and give direction on it? Does it make reasonable sense. Can you logically think through it? Does it come to rest clearly with the rest of your life's experience? And is it connected with tradition - with long lines of continuous though and truth spanning over hundreds of years.
Folks, during this whole series, our goal is to help you see life more clearly and for you to allow God to develop you more fully into the image He has created within you. That image includes this whole notion of continuous learning - of curiosity and change - so that we can find truth and live walking in truth.
Today my goal is very simple. I want you to begin to ask more questions about what you believe and why you believe it and about how much more there is to learn. And I believe as you continue to learn, that God's image - His imprint - will become clearer and clearer in you, as He guides you through every new change on our journey towards Him. |
