The Courage to Be Curious
Matthew 7:7 — Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.
High school has rules.
No, not the ones printed in the handbook. Those are easy. You can read them and follow them.
I mean the other rules.
The ones everybody seems to know without anybody ever explaining them.
You sit with your people at lunch. You wear clothes that fit your crowd. Athletes hang out with athletes. Band kids hang out with band kids. Theater kids stick together.
Eventually, you learn where you belong, and you get pretty good at staying there.
They’re not written down anywhere, but you know the rules.
Until one morning when something strange happens.
The football player stands beside the quiet kid from chemistry.
The popular girl prays with the freshman nobody knows.
Students from different churches—and students with no church at all—end up standing around the same flagpole.
Every year, See You at the Pole has a way of bringing people together.
Some students come because they love Jesus. Some come because a friend asked them. Others are just curious.
And if you didn’t know, God has a thing for curious people.
Think about it.
Zacchaeus climbed a tree because he wanted to see Jesus. People followed Jesus because they wanted to know who He was. Again and again, people took a step closer because something about Jesus made them curious.
And that’s what I love about Jesus’ words in Matthew 7: “Keep on asking. Keep on seeking. Keep on knocking.”
He doesn’t tell us to pretend we already have everything figured out.
He invites us to come closer.
Ask questions.
Seek Him.
Knock on the door.
You see, curiosity can be a beautiful thing.
Sometimes it’s simply the courage to step outside what feels familiar and move toward something you don’t fully understand.
And you really can’t imagine what God might do with one small moment of curiosity.
So, if you’re planning to be at See You at the Pole, don’t just pray for your school.
Pray for the person standing on the edge of the crowd, wondering if they should walk over.
Pray for the student who is curious but nervous.
Pray for the one who doesn’t know exactly what they believe yet.
Because sometimes the first step toward Jesus is simply being willing to ask a question.
So maybe today, break a few of those unwritten rules.
Step outside your usual circle.
Walk toward someone who feels alone.
And if you’re the one standing on the edge, wondering whether you belong there, take a step closer.
Ask.
Seek.
Knock.
You never know what God might do with your curiosity.
A MOMENT TO REFLECT
- Are there “unwritten rules” or social circles in your life that keep you from reaching out to certain people?
- Have you ever been curious about Jesus but hesitant to take the next step? What held you back?
- What question about God or faith have you been afraid to ask?
- Who might be standing “on the edge of the crowd” in your school, workplace, church, or community? How could you make room for them?
- What would it look like for you today to ask, seek, or knock—to take one small step closer to Jesus?
