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Nurturing Curiosity

Ordinary Time (First Section)Early Years and Primary EducationWeek 7 · Day 7

Scripture References

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Old Testament

Psalm 8:2-9

2 From the lips of babes and infants you have established strength, because of your adversaries, that you might silence the enemy and the avenger.

3 When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have ordained,

4 what is man, that you think of him? What is the son of man, that you care for him?

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5 For you have made him a little lower than the angels, and crowned him with glory and honour.

6 You make him ruler over the works of your hands. You have put all things under his feet:

7 All sheep and cattle, yes, and the animals of the field,

8 the birds of the sky, the fish of the sea, and whatever passes through the paths of the seas.

9 LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!

New Testament

Matthew 18:1-4

1 In that hour the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who then is greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?”

2 Jesus called a little child to himself, and set him in the middle of them

3 and said, “Most certainly I tell you, unless you turn and become as little children, you will in no way enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.

4 Whoever therefore humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.

Thought for the Day

Psalm 8 is full of wonder: the heavens are the work of God’s fingers, and yet human beings are remembered and crowned with honour. “What are we,” the psalm asks, “that you are mindful of us?” The psalm even makes room for a surprising voice: “Out of the mouths of infants… you have established strength.” God is pleased to work through small voices.

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In Matthew 18 the disciples ask who is greatest, and Jesus answers by placing a child among them. Greatness is turned upside down: humility, not grasping; receiving, not dominating. To become like a child is to abandon the scramble for status and to be willing to learn.

Curiosity can be a kind of humility. It begins by admitting we do not know. It asks, listens, wonders. In early years education that wonder is precious and easily crushed, especially when adults become defensive or impatient. Sometimes the holiest thing an adult can say is, “Let’s find out together.”

Lord, keep our classrooms and churches safe for questions. Give children confidence to explore, and adults courage to learn. Make our common life less brittle and more truthful, so curiosity becomes a pathway to wisdom, and wisdom becomes worship today.

Prayer Points

Respond
  • Creator God, keep children’s wonder alive, and let their questions be met with patience and kindness
  • Give teachers wisdom to nurture curiosity and humility, not fear or shame
  • Protect children from bullying and from adult impatience, and make classrooms safe places to learn
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  • Forgive our pride, and teach us to become like children in humility before you
  • Gather us as brethren at your table, learning together to worship you with glad hearts
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