The Curious: Devotion for February 2

Nineteenth century painter Eugen von Blaas showed interest in everyday life scenes, and I love the tenderness of this moment between friends. What lies on the other side of the wall?

The woman on the ladder lifts her hand—almost as if to say, “Wait. Let me look first. Let me tell you what I see.” Her friend stays on the ground, patient but just as curious, trusting her companion to report back. I love how her feet have been lifted from her shoes as she strains to see.

This scene reminds me that we live in an age that rewards peeking over walls—but now the “peeking” comes in the form of scrolling, clicking, comparing, and consuming. We are endlessly curious about other people’s lives. We want to know their opinions, and we judge their character by those opinions. We want to know their successes and compare them to ours, which leaves us either prideful (I’m doing better than they are) or envious (I wish I had what they have).

As Eleanor Roosevelt said, “Comparison steals our joy.”

And when it comes to other people’s failures—why do we even care? Except that their failures make us feel better about our failures. Much of what we peer into leaves us anxious, dissatisfied, or restless. We looked—but we weren’t nourished. Yet we still strain to see.

Perhaps this painting invites us to ask:

• What am I leaning toward right now?

• What am I allowing to form my identity?

• Is it drawing me closer to God—or simply feeding my restlessness?

We do not need to measure our lives against others to know who we are. Our identity is not found on the other side of the wall—or screen—but in Jesus. When we allow Jesus to tell us who we are, we can stop straining to see more and start resting in who we already are. Contentment grows when we trust that Jesus gives us our worth.

Featured art: Eugen von Blaas, The Curious, 1897