After all, you've gone to college. Or maybe you've just learned in the school of hard knocks. You've had a lifetime of lessons.
Maybe you feel you're just too old to learn. After all, you can't teach an old dog new tricks.
Life can be hard. Maybe there are circumstances in your life that you never asked for. Other people's choices may have impacted you and shaped your perception and way of looking at life in general.
Maybe you've been hurt in the past and so ...now it's hard for you to trust or be open. You close your heart because you don't ever want to feel pain like that again. But I wonder ...are you missing out on good things by not being willing to be open to learn?
I remember hearing my pastor encouraging us to be life long learners and that intrigued me. I love to learn new things but I don't always apply what I learn. Head knowledge is one thing but ...heart knowledge is another.
The focus of Heart Choices is how our day to day choices will determine what our tomorrows will become.
If you're not satisfied with where you are today, would you consider examining the choices you make? After all, if you keep doing the same things ...you'll end up with the same result. Maybe it's time to learn a few new skills.
Think about children. When your child is learning to walk, they stumble and fall continuously. A fellow blogger posted a video of her little girl learning to walk. She would take an unsteady step, waver a bit and then fall down. But did she give up? No way! Up she went trying again ...along with her mom and sister's encouragement.
When little Mary was learning to ride her bike without training wheels, it took a time of falling again and again. But with encouragement from her big brother Braden she finally succeeded. And then when Braden was learning to dance he wasn't Fred Astaire overnight. It takes practice and time to learn new skills.
My blogging friend L-Jay of My Little Norway writes about adjusting to life in a new country. She's from Australia but she married a Norwegain who lives near the Arctic Circle. She had to learn a new language which isn't easy. She takes language classes to learn and she must practice every day. I'm sure she feels ackward at times but she's persistent because she made the choice to follow her husband.
Maybe you've set a few new goals for yourself in 2009? After all, it's a new year and a new opportunity to make some new choices.
Consider the following questions:
- Are there some new skills that you might need to learn to accomplish your goal?
- Are there people who might encourage you?
- Is there someone who will help to keep you accountable?
- Are there resources you can tap to learn a new skill to help you?
I'd love to hear from you. Are you teachable? What steps will you take to make new choices that will help you grow in body, mind and spirit?
I think this is such a wonderful question. I really believe that we may not always know the answer. I love what David says to the Lord,
ReplyDeleteSearch me and know me... that would be my prayer on this very topic. I feel like I am teachable but really the Lord is the one who reveals the areas I may not be.
Thank you for sharing my sweet friend. You are such a blessing and an encouragement.
Have a blessed day!
Julie
When I was first a Christian - I was so teachable, because I was so broken. It's interesting you should ask about this now. I was just praying about it yesterday, during the sermon at church as I found myself so busy evaluating the accuracy of what was being said (perfectionism can be a sign of pride!) that I wasn't learning a thing. Oh, Lord, I want to be that broken teachable person again.
ReplyDeleteThanks for asking a difficult question.
Debbie,
ReplyDeleteI think to be teachable you have to be in a constant state of surrender. I sometimes think I've got this teachable spirit and then all of a sudden...bam...out of nowhere I find I have not yielded a part of my life to the Lord.
I'm so glad for those moments when the Lord shows me that I have not surrendered something to Him. And He patiently brings me to that knowledge...and I become teachable again.
Great thoughts my friend. May the Lord keep in us a teachable spirit. It's a great place to be! Hugs to you!!
I'd like to think that I'm teachable. But so often rather than looking at others and their different methods and ideas as a way to learn, I find myself judging them for not being like me. When people want to show me a better way, I get defensive and strive to be understood.
ReplyDeleteAll rooted in pride.
Yuk.
I'd like to be more teachable than I am, I guess.
Great post!
Sandy
I think I am teachable, but my husband may say different. Ha.
ReplyDeleteI would DEFINITELY HATE to learn a new language at my age. Well, "hate" is the wrong word. It would be challenging to say the least!
Thank you for asking this question. I will definitely chew on this.
Love,
Beth
You know if I read this before this weekend I would have said "yes I believe I am teachable." But God showed me I have to have my little tantrum, cry many tears, and THEN I am teachable. Why can not I get it in a simpler fashion?
ReplyDeleteI always joke that God teaches me in object lessons. I don't "get it" unless I have experiences it. Lord help me, when I pray for patience. I am to scared to pray for that, ha.
Thank you for this timely post.
one of the hardest part that I'm having right now is when my husband kept telling me "I wished I had the same kind of faith, peace and serenity"... I know exactly what he meant coz I've been there but it's just a lot harder to explain... I tried and tried but maybe this whole thing will offer me a whole different kind of lesson and I believe in prayers:)
ReplyDeleteJulie: You're so right, asking God to search you and reveal the areas you need to grow.
ReplyDeleteLaurie: I can identify with you but I also have found that as we are open to grow, the Lord will peel back the layers. I learn new things from His Word when I thought I already knew that.
Debra: Great point about being surrendered. I find that I may think I've surrendered something but it keeps coming up.
Sandy: Pride rears its ugly head again. It happens to me too. I love that you wrote that you desire to be more teachable. That's a good start.
Beth: Isn't it funny how our husbands would answer that question?
Lori: Patience will be my next post, my friend. We think we learn something and then God shows us differently.
Shawie: I'm so glad you visited today. That's great that your husband sees something different in you and desires that for himself. Only God can truly reveal Himself to your hubby but you may be a wonderful example to him.
Thank you, Debbie.
ReplyDeleteI love the term 'life-long learning' ;)
I think being teachable is different from learning - it is a state of the mind or a condition of the heart. Being teachable is being able to allow yourself to be taught through lessons in life. I think being teachable is one of the most honourable excellence a person can be.