Taffi Dollar - The Glory of Curiosity - Part 2
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Look at Luke chapter 2 verse 41. Let’s start there. Thank you, Jesus. «Every year Jesus' parents went to Jerusalem for the Passover festival». And when Jesus was 12 years old, they attended the festival as usual. «After the celebration was over, they started home to Nazareth, but Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents didn’t miss him at first». Don’t ask me. They must have been doing some serious mothering and fathering. But anyway, «they assume he was among the other travelers. But when he didn’t show up that evening, they started looking for him». Don’t judge people’s parents and they doing the best they know how to do. «Among their relatives and friends. When they couldn’t find him, they went back to Jerusalem to search for him there». They’re thinking, «Lord, I done lost my child. Oh no, where did I lose Jesus»? So they went back to search for him there.
Look at verse 46: «Three days later they finally discovered Jesus in the Temple». Look at what he was doing, «sitting,» 12 years old, «among the religious teachers». That get your attention, won’t it? Be like, huh, why are you sitting here? «Listening to them and asking questions». Jesus was curious. He knew he had a destiny, he knew God had a plan for his life. And so he went to the temple to get some things answered and, «All who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers». His parents didn’t know what to think when they found him three days later. Well, good Lord, been here all this time. «Son,» his mother said to him, «why have you done this to us»?
Now, we do as parents, it’s about us. «Why did you hurt me so bad? Why did you do this to me, Jesus? Why did you just go off and just not follow the crowd and why are you being such a bad boy? You’re not supposed to go away from your parents. Why, Jesus, why»? «'Your father and I have been frantic, searching for you everywhere. But why did you need to search? '» He was full of curiosity. «'Didn’t you know that I must be in my Father’s house? ' But they didn’t understand what he meant». Sometimes as parents, we don’t understand. I don’t even know what you talking about. Father’s business? You are my 12 year old child. You stay with us, you keep up with us. You better not ever not be where you supposed to be. That’s that old law based, that fear based. But they didn’t understand what he meant.
«Then he returned to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them,» praise the Lord. «And his mother,» listen to this. Mary «stored all these things in her heart». She stored it up. She paid… no, she took, she took awareness of what he was saying. She recognized, huh, what is this child? What father’s business in the temple? Three days asking questions. They’re asking him, he’s asking them. She kept it right here because she realized, must be something, might be something to this. And the scripture says in verse 52 that Jesus grew. «He grew in wisdom, he grew in stature and in favor with God and all the people». And we know over time that glory was revealed that we’re benefiting from to this very day, amen.
Can I share a few things about engaging your curiosity with your parenting? A lot of times when we’re parenting, we think that if something goes wrong, that we already knew or know who is in the wrong as parents. Ready to blame, ready to punish. Well, what if we learned more about what’s going on with our child? What’s going on with their behavior? Why are they acting like they’re acting? What are their thoughts? What are they feeling? Why are they doing what they are doing? And so I want to throw out to you today perhaps and submit to you to engage natural curiosity in your parenting, so that you can bring things into account from your child’s concerns, their perspectives, and from their point of view. And combine empathy, even, with that. Your child may be feeling ignored, or feeling as if «no one sees me, feeling as if I don’t have a voice, I’m not heard, or I only get recognized when I do something wrong, or all of the attention is on the other child».
And so perhaps you can engage natural curiosity in your parenting and start to ask questions and create time together as the Bible talks about some of these things that we know children do. And he says to come to the Kingdom of God as you would a child, humble, inquiring, trying to learn. Natural curiosity in our parenting, as moms and as mothers, and to recognize that we don’t have all the answers and we need to pray in the Holy Ghost to get wisdom and seek things out and understand what’s going on from their perspective and their point of view and their eyes. Engaging curiosity, repeating back what you heard is a way in which you can communicate and be empathetic because that is the most important thing, is combining empathy with curiosity and parenting.
Nonverbal involvement, just listening, paraphrasing, repeating back what was said, what you heard. Obviously, we know the goal is not perfection. We’re not perfect, so our children are certainly not going to be perfect. They don’t need a judge, a jury, an attorney, a defender, a prosecute, they don’t need any of that. They just need to be heard. And just want to know that you understood what was said. I’m just feeling this way. I’m just feeling a way. I just, that’s just how I feel. And then we can recognize that different doesn’t mean bad.
Please help me to understand as a good reply as parents, when your child rebels, be curious. When your child lies, be curious. When your child fights, be curious. When your child disagrees, be curious. When your child is upset, be curious. When your child is angry, be curious. When your child is crying, be curious. And I think we can do so much more if we ask ourselves, how can I help? What do you need from me? What can I learn about this situation right now? Imagine being approached with curiosity and how much of a difference that could make and how it helps someone to feel like they’ve not been met with shame or with blame, amen? Let’s give God some praise for that. That was a light bulb moment.
Now look at Luke chapter 1, not done yet. Luke chapter 1, we’ll start at verse 34, verse 34. The glory of curiosity. Because it happened so many times throughout the scriptures. And this particular situation talks about the birth of Jesus. And when he came into the scene and the angel came to Mary and was pronouncing that she would be pregnant and that she would carry Jesus. She would be Jesus’s mama and that she was a chosen one. Mary asked the angel in verse 34. «'But how can this happen? I am a virgin.'» She was curious. I know what you’re saying, angel, but how? How God? I know you’ve given me this vision. I know you’ve given me this business. I know you’ve given me this child to parent. I know you’ve given me all these things. But how? «'The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of The Highest, the power of the Most High will overshadow you.'»
There are some things, there are some things that God’s going to do that you won’t be able to take any credit for. He don’t want you to be looking for no man to try to make it happen or look into this person, look into that person. Oh, I got relationships, let me just… no, he says the power of The Highest will overshadow you, Mary. The Holy Ghost is gonna make it happen. She said, «How it’s gonna happen? I ain’t sleeping with nobody. I’m a virgin». He said it’s the Holy Ghost. The burn removing, yoke destroying, power. The unaccompanied one. He is God all by himself. He don’t need nobody else. He just needs you to inquire, ask him, search it out, spend time with him.
And he says, «'So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God.'» Keep going. «'What’s more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she has conceived a son and is now in her sixth month for the word of God will never fail.' Mary responded saying, 'I am the Lord’s servant. May everything'», come on, somebody say «Everything». «'May everything you have said about me come true.'» She went from how, and the angel said the Holy Ghost, and she said, «Be it unto me». She received it according to that word. I’m telling you that curiosity will birth something in the realm of the spirit. And she says «then the angel,» the scripture said, «left from her». You catching this? Have I thought that my best days are over? Have those around me convinced that my life is the best that it will ever be? I want you to allow, as we start to close, the Holy Spirit, allow room for the Holy Spirit to work in you like Zacchaeus to see Jesus. It could be from your childlike faith that the glory will be birthed in you.
Let’s look at this last scripture, Mark 10:13. Mark 10:13, real quick. Receiving the Kingdom of God like a child, asking questions, creating time to wonder. God wants you to get your wonder back. Just wonder in a positive sense, not just wandering around being lost and clueless, but W-O-N-D-E-R, a time to wonder. He says, «One day some parents brought their children to Jesus so he could touch and bless them. But the disciples scolded the parents for bothering him. When Jesus saw what was happening, he was angry with his disciples. He said to them, 'Let, or allow, the children come to me.'» And that’s how he wants us to come to him: as children, humble, knowing we don’t have all the answers, knowing that some stuff was wrong.
Just recognizing that we need to learn, we need to do better, be a better version of ourselves. Talk about things that our parents didn’t talk about. Have conversations that we don’t know how to have, but just trust God to have them. «He said to them, 'Let the children come.'» He says, «'Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children.'» And so we have to ask ourselves, like children do, why do we do what we do in the way that we do it? What is the meaning? Be open to wonder, where did this come from? God, what are you doing? What are you saying? I don’t even understand. This makes no sense. He says, «It makes no sense to you».
So decide that I’m not stifling my growth. Decide that you are not stuck. As long as you don’t quit, you are not stuck. This is not as good as it gets. Believe this morning that you are worthy to bloom. Say, «I am worthy to bloom». Because of the blood of Jesus, you’re worthy to bloom. Don’t let anybody talk you out of it. You are worthy, you are worthy. You might have had words that were spoken over your life, things where you weren’t seen or heard or ignored or neglected and you feel unworthy, devalued, unvaluable, of no purpose, that your life means nothing. There is a world that exists because you are in it. And so when people say you are crazy to say, «I’m not crazy, I’m just first. I’m not crazy».
We’re gonna break this dysfunction. We’re gonna figure this out. We’re gonna get before the Holy Ghost and start praying in tongues and breaking this nonsense and this generational trauma, this mess and all this stuff and sins of my fathers and sins from my mothers and my grandparents and all this ancestry stuff and fear and all this wickedness and witchcraft, manipulation and sexual sins and bondages and addictions and yokes. I’m not crazy, I’m just first! I’m not crazy, I’m first! First to break the curse, first to be delivered, first to not be an addict. First to not being bonded to what you think about me because what you think about me ain’t gonna stop nothing.
God’s got a plan for my life. The Holy Ghost will overshadow me, will empower me. The things that God would do in my life, it will be by the Holy Ghost. That’s how it’s going to be. The power of The Highest. I’m not crazy. Doesn’t matter what you think about me. You can do whatever you want to do, but I’m gonna be curious. I’m gonna be like a little child and have my wonder. God, I just wonder how you’re gonna make a way. How you gonna take care of me. How you gonna provide your plan, how you’re gonna roll it out, how you gonna do what you’re gonna do. I know you’re gonna do it because you’re a good Dad and you’re a good Father, you won’t leave me helpless.