Curiosity is something that our society needs more of. While Siri and Alexa give us instant access to knowledge by answering our questions, the experiential part of curiosity, learning by doing, is fading.

Experimental curiosity reminds me of the Curious George books from my childhood. This sometimes good (sometimes not so good) little monkey embodies curiosity. He has to figure things out for himself. With your dream journey, you’ll need to do the same. The good news is that God wired you and encourages you to be curious. He tells you to ask, to seek, to knock (Mathew 7:7).

Back to George. I recently reread some of the Curious George books and God showed me nine things about curiosity from George.

1. He Follows His Instincts: George knows when he should stay and when he should go. He knows what is needed and he acts without hesitation or fear.

2. He’s Observant: He knows his surroundings and uses them. He’s aware of people and of places because he’s present in the moment.

3. He’s Resourceful: Because George is observant, he knows what tools were in the vicinity and he knows the functions of some of these tools. If he doesn’t understand how a tool works, he investigates how the tool works and if it’s the wrong one, he tries another one.

4. He’s Good Natured: George makes a lot of mistakes, yet others love him regardless. He is well intentioned. His only agenda is to learn and help.

5. He’s Brave: He follows his curiosity even if he is afraid and there were times, he was afraid, but he explores anyways.

6. He’s a Hard Worker: George does the job required of him to satisfy his curiosity, which at times is a lot of work.

7. He’s Intrigued: He just can’t help himself because people, places, well everything, intrigues him. The world is so interesting to him. He always has new things to learn.

8. He’s Adventurous: He tries new things every day. He finds great joy in his adventures.

9. He’s Thoughtful: While he messes up, a lot, many times his curiosity leads by wanting to help someone out. Like when he tried to write a letter to the man in the yellow hat. He often thinks about others first.

Yes, George is also messy, makes some bad decisions, doesn’t think to ask permission, and is oblivious to consequences. All that said, if we have a touch of George’s magical curiosity wouldn’t we conquer our dreams?

I pray that childlike wonder and curiosity returns to you today. I pray that you look at these nine things and choose a few to focus on.