Curiosity and the Cat

I’m not sure of where the cat comes into this most human of activities.  It somehow seems that the phrase should be curiosity in the human nature.  We seem to be drawn to situations that are fraught with danger.  So much so that there has been a phrase applied to it “rubber necking”.  It is an apt description for the minute we see a car with flashing lights or a crowd forming where there is no apparent reason we are drawn to wonder what is happening and our eyes, if not our necks, are held at that spot; even after we have past it.

What is curiosity?  I have a sense that is came out of mankind’s early days where it was a matter of life and death often to be aware of the events happening around us.  Early man was a hunter and death was a part of his trade.  He was also the hunted as a meal for the larger animals.  In this regard we could say that curiosity was a good thing for man’s survival. 

But as with many of our human traits time was changed the function of this trait.  We no longer need to be on the lookout for dangerous circumstance, generally.  Today we tend to live in a much safer environment than back then and yet curiosity can kill the cat.

So then how does this relate to our lives as followers of the one true God?  Well to draw a long bow if curiosity has the ability to draw us away from our destination then I would suggest that it may be a characteristic that should be disciplined if not controlled entirely.  However there seems to be an element of curiosity that can lead to an enhanced life with Father.

We do not go about our day entirely unaffected by the events around us.  In fact there is a need to be aware of the people in our proximity to be able to minister to them as the need arises.  Jesus used the natural curiosity of men when He went about teaching: for the crowds pursued Him wherever He went.  It is perhaps a irony that the same crowds that followed Him were ultimately the crowd who bayed for His death when the His time was up.

It is possibly fair to see our lives as being extensions of Jesus’ ministry; the crowd can turn on us in just the same way, at any time.  The Jesus life that we live is stifled by our humanity, and the attitude of the crowd.  We need to keep our focus entirely upon the Master and be aware of those we come in touch with as our ministry moment.  When Jesus lives through us He is the light that people see and are drawn to.

So then we need to be sensitive to others as we undertake our daily walk, open to see a ministry moment, where someone has a need and we may be of assistance.  However we should be able to stay above the curiosity that draws others to the sad and sorrowful side of life unless like Mother Theresa we are called to go there and make a difference for the Gospel.