CURIOSITY

CURIOSITY killed the cat. That is very sad. The good news is that you are not a cat, and that curiosity is not necessarily a death passport. Actually, it can be your passport to progress and advancement. Curiosity can serve as your vehicle of transformation.

Curiosity. What is it? It is an unbridled desire to know and learn, to experience new realities and connect to unfamiliar phenomena. Curiosity drives us out of our comfort zone and deposits us at new locations. Sometimes, curiosity transports us from our world of dreams to our world of reality.


CURIOSITY PROFILE – LUKE 19:1-10
DURING the prime of the Roman Empire, a Jewish man named Zacchaeus worked for the Roman authorities as a chief tax collector. Such a person was not popular with his Jewish kinsmen. The fact that he worked as a tax collector for Rome did not sit well with his fellow Jews because Rome, whom the Jews considered as heathens had no legitimate right to govern them. Apart from that, tax collectors were spurned by the Jewish community because of their tendency to out-deal their fellow countrymen. Zacchaeus was rich and short.

One day, while Jesus passed through the city in which Zacchaeus lived, a crowd of people followed to catch a glimpse of Jesus – the man many Jews expected would spearhead a revolution that would overthrow the Roman regime and set them free. Like many Jews, Zacchaeus too wanted to see who Jesus was. Nonetheless, he could not join the crowd to see Jesus. This was because of the stigma of his job as a tax collector and the limitation of his height.

What would you have done if you were Zacchaeus? I don’t know but I can tell you what Zacchaeus did and we’ll glean some lessons.

1. He ran ahead. His curiosity prompted him to devise a strategy that would make him see Jesus. First, he ran ahead of the crowd. He anticipated where Jesus would pass and went ahead of those who were following Jesus. Curious people get ahead of the crowd. They foresee opportunity and prepare for it. They don’t wait for opportunity to come to them. They ran to where opportunity is likely to be. Curiosity does not always kill, it leads to opportunity sometimes.

2. He climbed a tree. When Zacchaeus got to the place where Jesus was likely to pass, he positioned himself strategically by climbing a tree. He definitely did not want to miss Jesus. He knew that because of the crowd that followed Jesus, he could miss Him. Remember, he was not that tall. Curiosity helps you to insure against your limitations. It helps you to position yourself so that when your moment of opportunity arrives, you won’t miss out. Though he was short, getting on the tree placed him on a higher plane than everybody else. By this positioning, he was sure not to miss his opportunity.

3. He got noticed. When Jesus got to the spot where Zacchaeus’ tree was, his desire to see Jesus was realized. He saw Jesus but not only that, Jesus saw him too. Why didn’t Jesus notice anybody else but Zacchaeus? His job was a stigma and his height was a limitation. But his positioning earned him recognition. What is your stigma? What is your challenge? If you are determined to experience something beyond your stigma and limitation, you will overcome. Don’t be intimidated. Don’t settle. Don’t give up. Run ahead. Climb up. Set yourself apart. And you will be noticed. Curiosity may kill the cat but for you, it could give you prominence.

4. He played host. When Jesus saw him, He could not pass him by. Jesus recognized the effort the man had made to see Him. He couldn’t help but offer to pass time at Zacchaeus’ home. When you prepare well for your opportunity, it will not miss you and when if finds you it will not pass you by. It is very painful to get close to opportunity and miss, albeit narrowly. That was not Zacchaeus’ story. He descended from the tree immediately and gladly took Jesus home. The people gossiped but he had his moment with Jesus.

5. He repented. During his encounter with Jesus, Zacchaeus had a change of mind. He told Jesus, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.” He decided to do what is right. The man who took from the poor now resolved to give to the poor. He decided to give back to people he had cheated. He maximized his opportunity with Jesus and changed his ways.

6. He gained salvation. His repentance earned him God’s salvation. Hear what Jesus said, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man too is the son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.” The man who had been alienated by his kinsmen - the Jews – who traced their ancestry to Abraham was reidentified as a descendant of Abraham. Jesus took away his stigma and restored his identity. His curiosity eventually earned him eternal life.

IF YOU don’t like where you are, don’t stay there in the name of minding your own business. Run. Climb. Get noticed. Embrace your opportunity. Harness your opportunity and you will get to where you truly deserve to be.


2013 All rights reserved by Terry Mante
Personal Development Network (PEDNET)
Accra, Ghana