A man who once had everything finds himself with nothing, trying to carve out a new life in the wilderness. But when he notices something out of the ordinary off in the distance of the desert … everything changes. 

Three scientists spend their days studying the sky, working to decipher the movements of the heavens and what it all might mean. But when they find themselves peering at a very peculiar star … everything changes.

A woman who’s used to living in the shadows ventures into the village square during the hottest part of the day, hoping to avoid the accusatory looks of her neighbors. But when she encounters a mysterious stranger … everything changes.

Any one of these could be the logline of a great movie. 

They describe the moment when someone paused, got curious, and then took that first, sometimes tentative step in a new direction. Moses slowed down a little and then diverted from the well-worn path, the wise men stopped to look and then started packing their bags, the woman at the well lingered a little longer and then began asking questions. Each of them had their lives interrupted by a question:

I wonder what’s going on with that shrub? 

I wonder what that star could signify? 

I wonder who this stranger is? 

Their wondering caused them to slow down, look closer, and, eventually, chart a whole new course. That can be an exciting proposition, or it can be really scary. When we find ourselves at a similar inflection point, we might be hesitant to let our questions take us too far off the path we know. We wonder where our curiosity might lead us, and we wish we could see the whole journey laid out before we have to take that first step. But sometimes we have to go a little ways down a new path if we ever hope to find out where it might lead.