The Healthy Spiritual Journey • October 2025: Be Curious, Not Judgmental

 “Be curious, not judgmental” – attributed to Walt Whitman by the fictional character, Ted Lasso 

Friends told me that the television series Ted Lasso was well-worth the time spent watching. So, last month, my wife and I binge watched all three seasons. Other than too many ‘f-bombs’, the show was funny, poignant, and even inspiring; we looked forward to each new episode. The scene where our hero, Ted Lasso, tells his antagonist to “Be curious, not judgmental” was one of the highlights. The crowd watching him (surprisingly) win a game of darts did not have a clue that he could throw darts so well because no one had ever asked. Ted’s wise curiosity, refusal to be judgmental, and understanding of the word “Believe” helped him develop winning communities on and off the British football/soccer field.

One of my favorite quotes is from Soren Kierkegaard, “Once you label me, you negate me”. In a world quick to label and slow to listen, curiosity can become a sacred act. It can help us learn more about our neighbors and about the mystery of God. Judgmental labels will not lead us to truth, but quiet acts of curiosity and wonder have powerful potential. Truth, like mathematics and science, has no opinion. It simply exists, and should be sought with humility, patience, and neighborly love.

Jesus modeled how to be curious. He often asked questions such as: “Who do you say I am?” “Do you want to be healed?” “Why are you afraid?” His questions were relational. They invited reflection, not reaction. Even when He was confronted by Pilate before his crucifixion, Jesus did not defend Himself with argument. He stood in silence, allowing this question to linger: “What is truth?” (John 18:38).

Seeking truth requires us to be curious. Oftentimes, it requires us to live with the questions rather than the answers. When truth is revealed, curiosity may allow us to receive it in its fullness, without needing to reduce truth to something comfortable or convenient. When we seek truth, it may be to understand the world around us - or maybe the people around us – or even ourselves.

Being nonjudgmental does not mean being passive or indifferent. It means choosing compassion over condemnation. It means seeing others not as problems to be solved, but as stories to be heard. When we suspend judgment, we make room for grace. We allow others to be complex and to be human – a work in progress. At the same time, we might even allow ourselves the same grace – the same mercy.

If we are willing to be curious rather than judgmental, we are likely to be attuned to the mystery and whispers of the Holy Spirit. Curiosity can keep our faith dynamic, deepening our relationship with God. A posture of curious wonder can help us answer the question “What is truth?” It can help us with positive, growing, mysterious spiritual transformation, even while our physical body is aging.

As we continue our healthy spiritual journey, let us be curious rather than judgmental, always seeking truth. Approach both mystery and truth with reverence - because God is there - where they converge.

In God’s love,

Lanny F. Wilson, MD

“What is truth?" – John 18:38