CURIOSITY | Apr 14-20, 2025

To catch up with our Lent journey, check out this post that explains our practice.

It's amazing how quick we can be to move to assumption. Something goes wrong, someone says something that rubs us the wrong way, we aren’t received in the way that we expect, and we move to assumption. We question intentions, perspectives, and we start to wonder the worst about others. What has begun as potentially a small thing, becomes a big thing.

It's amazing how assumptions can bring out the worst in us.

Assumption is a way of death and can often work its way out in a form of relational death. Whether bitterness, broken trust, guardedness, or even the ending of a relationship. What can start with one small assumption can build up into a giant wall of hostility, and once that wall's up it's hard to bring it down.

So, how does the way of life offer another option than assumption? I would say it's through the path of curiosity. When faced with an interaction or situation that confuses or frustrates us, love chooses curiosity. Curiosity acknowledges that it doesn't have all the answers, so it asks questions. Curiosity looks for the good, seeks to understand, and gets answers before making decisions. Curiosity is a posture of openness, of looking for common ground, and that keeps the walls from being built.

Curiosity isn’t just for others, it's also for ourselves, for self-examination. Curiosity asks questions like: Why am I feeling the way that I am? Why did I respond that way? I wonder what they meant when they said that? As we ask these questions, we open ourselves to the Spirit of God allowing him to bring life and goodness into us and to tear down the walls of hostility that we have erected.

So how do we embrace curiosity? Don’t grumble and complain in assumption but instead open your eyes and hearts in curiosity and look. Look for what is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy. Curiosity takes hard work and intentionality, but in it you will find life and life himself - the God of peace -

will be with you.

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READ

Philippians 2:14-15, 4:8-9; Ephesians 2:14

REFLECT

Invite the Holy Spirit into your reflections and welcome the voice of Jesus to help you answer these questions.

1. How is the fear of death showing up in my life as assumption?

2. What lies am I believing about myself, others, or God that contribute to this fear?

RESPOND

Jesus, I surrender assumption to you and agree that curiosity is the better pathway to life in you.

I renounce the lie that _____________________________________.

Now, choose repentance by turning toward God.

Today I choose to turn away from assumption and turn toward curiosity.

Walk in repentance by turning towards others.

Jesus, who is someone that has been affected by the ways that assumption has expressed itself in my life? How can I be a person of life towards them by walking in curiosity.

RECEIVE

Spend some time listening for the voice of Jesus and receiving his mercy and grace.

What gifts of life do you want to give me in exchange for the fear of death that causes me to turn to assumption to feel safe?

FAST

As a way of living into your repentance, consider fasting from food at some point this week. How that looks is up to you; maybe it's a whole day of meals, maybe it's the same meal for each of the days, maybe it's one meal this week. One fast is not more impressive than another but instead is an opportunity to allow your hunger pangs to draw you to prayer and remind you of your dependence on the one who provides our daily bread.