The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, not the end of curiosity. As Francis Schaeffer once said, “The Christian is the one whose imagination should soar beyond the stars.” Christians should be the most curious and most imaginative of all.
Rather than stopping questions, the fear of the Lord encourages them. When a person is in awe of God, they are driven to learn more about His character, His works, and His creation. To quote G.K. Chesterton, “There are no uninteresting things, only uninterested people.” Curiosity, imagination, and interest are not cardinal virtures, but they shouldn’t be overlooked, neglected, or despised.
These qualities, in my opinion, are both motivated and regulated by the proper fear of Lord.
Without reverence for the Creator, human knowledge can lead to arrogance or self-serving pursuits. Fearing God provides a path to a lifelong journey of learning, where every new discovery (science, philosophy, psychology, sociology, et cetera) is explored through a lens of wonder and built upon a foundation of faith.
Fearing God frees the mind from fearing the opinions of man, or the fear of failure, allowing for deeper exploration. When one “fears” the ultimate reality of God, they become less afraid of the mysteries of life, treating them with curious respect. The fear of the Lord is not meant to be a cowering, passive fear that stunts intellectual growth. Rather, it is the awe-inspired and inspiring foundation that encourages a healthy curiosity about the world God has made.