Can I be honest? I really like curious people. I mean the kind of person that asks deep thoughtful questions about life, about faith, about shame. Uncurious people who have it all figured out bore me. I can’t relate. Life’s too complex, too dynamic, too messy.
I get stoked sitting around a roaring fire with a bunch of curious people.
It takes courage to be curious. You may have signed up to be confident, self assured, and a “solid Christian,” but the moment you fell down, got your butt kicked, and experienced a broken heart, it started. It doesn’t matter how successful you’ve been—hurt happens. It takes courage to quit blaming, start asking painful questions and look back over your story and see where you screwed up.
You can either write your own story or let someone else. To be curious takes courage because no one else can answer your questions but you. Yet, if you don’t ask the questions, you won’t be whole. The questions and the answers are often painful. Brene Brown writes, “You either walk into your story and own your truth, or you live outside of your story, hustling for your worthiness.” (Rising Strong, p. 45)
Most of us choose to hustle for our worthiness through posturing, posing, and pretending. Especially Christians. It’s the cool stance in front of someone you need to impress or the flattering speech that gives you their focused attention. This is natural; we are hardwired for protecting and hiding our true self.
But the courage to stop hustling and begin an honest inventory of our feelings is the start of being wholehearted. It’s getting curious about why we play the game—exaggerating our accomplishments and minimizing our failures. It’s asking questions about our story: Why do I do that? Why do I say that? Who am I trying to impress? Where am I broken?
What’s the end to all hustling? Jesus gave us the answer: You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free! Stay curious my friend.
On the Road,
Steve
www.steveholtonline.org
www.theroad.org
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Twitter @pastorsteveholt
