Repeating the lesson

Teach us how short our lives are so that we can become wise. (Psalm 90:12)

You might not think this verse has much to do with making a new start in a new year, but I'd like us to read it again a few times just to grasp the full meaning of what the psalmist was asking. He asks God to 'teach him', but not with aimless education. He wants to really be aware just how limited his time on this earth may be - then he wants God to help him make the very best use of that time. There are thousands of timewasters in this world today - we barely have to look further than the TV or our cell phones to realize just how much 'wasted time' we can rack up without even fully being aware. The thing he prays for is 'awareness'. The purpose of this awareness is revelation - to get to know what is really important for him to know and forget about all the other stuff that really is just 'clutter' in his mind. Maybe that would be a good prayer for each of us this year - to become 'aware' and to make the most out of the knowledge we are given.

Awareness is more than just being in the 'know' about something. Yes, it means we are to be attentive to what God teaches, but it also means we use the information in such a way that it gets into our 'consciousness' and begins to affect how we make choices in life. The end goal is wisdom - the means to gaining wisdom is to sit long enough at the feet of our TEACHER in order to really come into full understanding of what is being taught. Life is short, the lessons can be long, and the learning can take a while. Maybe that means we 'repeat' a few from time to time because we don't get all the learning done in one sitting! I used to think that if God had to take me through a lesson again, I didn't get anything from it the first time. What I have come to realize is that repeated lessons don't always indicate I didn't learn from the other times God was taking me through, but rather that he is adding to the lesson now that I understood the first or second elements he taught previously. 

Teach us how short our lives are so we can become wise. Wisdom is a 'becoming' thing - it isn't instantaneous. We see one little tidbit of truth this time, then the next time that lesson comes around, we see another. Each helps us to grow a little. Remember, growth is a rather slow process and most of the growth is really happening 'under the surface'. What becomes evident a little later on is how much that growth has changed us - both inside and out! Just sayin!

Applying what we know

If you stop learning, you will forget what you already know. (Proverbs 19:27)

It has been a good day whenever I learn something new. Ever had to learn a lesson you just didn't want to learn? I have - too many times to count! Those are the ones that are tough to learn, but necessary if we are to grow up into strong and "survivable" creatures. I had to learn to brush my teeth, or decay would ensue. I had to learn to tie my shoes because I would trip over the laces if untied. These were probably some of the easier lessons to learn in this life - the ones I can say I have mastered. Then there are the tougher ones - like learning to keep my mouth shut at times when less words are better than more, or how to navigate risky relationship paths that need to be traversed, but which are pocked with all kinds of landmines! You know those lessons I am referring to - for you have your own. In those moments, it would be easiest to just stop learning - to say the learning would be too hard. Yet, if we want to grow up into strong and "survivable" creatures, we need to learn even the tough ones!

The hardest part of learning is being teachable. The idea of being teachable implies we are willing to be exposed to risk. It is indeed risky business to put ourselves out there - to be in the places of uncertainty where we see our abilities put to the test. I used to dread it when a teacher would call on me for an answer. Why? It was putting me in out there - I was required to show how well I had been listening and it often revealed my ability to "learn" the stuff they had taught! This was easy when it came to the things I actually enjoyed learning, but for the harder stuff - it wasn't so fun. Learning comes by study, instruction, and experience. Study is when we spend time getting into the facts about something we are interested in learning. Instruction is more of the example by which we learn - we see something modeled and then we try to replicate what we have seen. Experience is when we actually take the parts we study and the stuff we have seen modeled and put them together into the practical expression of that "skill".

To be truly teachable, one has to be willing to incorporate all three parts of learning into their day. Leaving out any of these parts is going to "skew" what it is we will learn. If we don't study, we won't have all the facts we need to make good decisions as to how to act, where or when to take action, or even when it is best to just wait a little to observe the outcome. When I was taking chemistry classes, I learned about acids and bases. One is quite "benign", and the other is quite "harsh". Acids can cause a huge reaction when mixed with things which "interact" with the "harshness" of this product. Although bases seem quite benign, they have a way of interacting with other "harsher" products - bringing "balance" to the equation. Too much of one or the other can actually result in something quite unpleasant. I remember stinking up the science lab with something akin to the smell of rotten eggs with a particular sulfur reaction!

If we don't ever have the chance to see the object of our learning modeled, it might be harder to grasp it. This is probably why cookbooks and cooking websites are filled with all those delightful photos of how the meal should look when you have it all done. Learning to have the meat, potatoes, and veggies all finish at the same time is quite a different matter, though! One must apply some of the knowledge they have learned by both "modeled" behavior/actions and what they find in the books (studied learning). This is why the recipe will give us those instructions on how long something takes to reach the desired level of perfection, not just the instructions on how to bread it, fry it, and serve it. The instructions have been provided so we can model the same "perfection" as they produced in the photograph!

When we take our studies and combine them with modeled behavior or actions, we have a better chance of actually producing "similar" outcomes. Here is the word of warning - we might just not produce the "exact" same outcomes - it might only be similar. Until we repeatedly produce the same reliable outcome each and every time, we cannot say we have gone to the level of being experienced with the learning. Experience is the level where we finish what we start and do so with pretty reliable consistency. Most of life is about learning the lessons - we just have to combine the skills of study, instruction, and experience. In time, we will master those things we are willing to apply ourselves to - we just have to be consistent in our application! Just sayin!

Was I hungry last night?

I will bless the Lord who guides me; even at night my heart instructs me. I know the Lord is always with me. I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me. (Psalm 16:7-8)

We make a choice each day - will we enthrone Jesus in our lives, or will we take the reins and do things our way. We also choose if we will 'bless the Lord' by those actions. Do we just praise God for the things he has done in our lives, or do we choose to bless him no matter what comes our way? Tough question, I know, because to bless and exalt him for the 'good stuff' is a whole lot easier than to bless him in the midst of trying circumstances outside of our control. 

Guided and instructed - this is the reason for our exaltation. We are guided in the good and the unpleasant. We are instructed (taught) in the celebrations as much as in the trials and tribulations of life. His counsel (teaching) comes to us in the Word of God, but it is 'recalled' and 'cemented' in our lives through the action of the Holy Spirit who resides within us. He not only confirms our course, but he corrects it whenever necessary. It is indeed a good thing to celebrate this 'oversight' in our lives because we don't always do such a bang-up job with choices.

What is this 'at night my heart instructs me' thing our psalmist is speaking to in this passage? I have told you repeatedly how 'fickle' and 'unreliable' our hearts can be at times - choosing to follow the whim of our emotions rather than the sound reasoning God brings to our conscience. God gave us a conscience because he knew we would struggle with our emotions maybe more than we might actually like to admit. In the wee hours of the night, have you ever felt like your 'decisions' were kind of 'brought into the balance'? I have and I know it is the work of the Holy Spirit, interacting with my conscience - not to make me feel bad, but to help me see where my steps were a little bit disordered.

In the night hours, God speaks deep into our spirit through our conscience. Even when our 'unconscious' seems to be in control (dreamland), God's Spirit is hard at work within - teaching, bringing to mind wise choices, recalling scripture, impressing good things in our mind. Ever wake up with a scripture in mind, or feel like your spirit was just way more 'renewed' than when you went to bed? It is because God's Spirit did not abandon us to our own devices while we slept! When we take in the Word of God, our conscience will be fed the right stuff, even when we don't know we are 'feeding' upon that Word. 

If we want to be closer to God, we must begin to feed ourselves the things that will sustain us, even when we aren't aware we need to be 'fed'. Just sayin!

Insight required

God has placed a premium on the responses we undertake. One of those 'premium' responses is listening. To those who listen, he speaks into their lives and helps them to grasp knowledge. Those who are too intent on just handling things without the instructions he brings, they hear, but they don't listen. Another 'premium' response God values is that of integrity - being truthful about what we don't know and then seeking to gain that knowledge is one way of revealing integrity in our lives. I often do crosswords, but there are times when the hints given just don't even make sense to me! It always amazes me when I see the answer key and see such a simple answer I never even considered. If I just plunged ahead, saying I understood the hints even though I clearly did not, it would not end up with the letters I need for completing the rest of the puzzle - the integrity of the puzzle is damaged. God doesn't place a premium on "faking it" or "just making something fit" - he places a premium on integrity.

Enthusiasm without knowledge is not good; impatience will get you into trouble. Some people ruin themselves by their own stupid actions and then blame the Lord. Do yourself a favor and learn all you can; then remember what you learn, and you will prosper. (Proverbs 18:2-3, 8)

As we have been studying these verses over the past couple of days, it appears there is to be evidence of a person actually valuing themselves by the actions and attitudes they exhibit. To acquire wisdom is to love oneself - valuing yourself enough to actually admit you don't know it all and then to quiet yourself long enough to actually "get" some knowledge which you might apply to the situation at hand. People who cherish understanding will prosper - those who overlook it or think it is not important will know much unrest in their lives. Most of the time we think scripture doesn't support the "love of self", but in truth, when we love ourselves enough to learn at the feet of Jesus, this type of "self-love" is perfectly right. It shows we value the Creator enough to sit at his feet long enough for him to show us how this whole created life is supposed to work.

To acquire wisdom, one is determining to get it as their own - not being content with second-hand knowledge, but desirous of getting it for yourself. When we approach knowledge this way, God is delighted to give us exactly what we seek. He gives us new or additional character traits and abilities. We then hold these new truths as something we will cherish - hold dear, keep or cultivate with care and affection. When we cherish knowledge (learning) - we are taking what we are given and then allowing it to get deep into our brains, enough so that it affects our emotions and bolsters our spirit.

Wisdom is the ability to discern inner qualities and the relationship between these qualities - some call this having insight. We need to see that insight is something grown, not given. It needs to be taken in, find deep root within us, and then it becomes useful to us. Knowledge is superficial - wisdom has deep roots. Understanding is the ability to grasp even the hidden meaning which comes as a result of what we have come to learn over time. I like the last verse we are studying today - we do ourselves a favor when we learn all we can. Learning all we can depends upon a right frame of mind, determined commitment of heart, and an openness to act as we are instructed. Remembering what we learn is sometimes the biggest challenge! Just sayin!

Not perfect - how about you?

True humility and fear of the Lord lead to riches, honor, and long life. (Proverbs 22:4)

True humility - this suggests to me there might just be a form of humility which is not genuine or real at all. It is that type of humility where one "pretends" to be submissive to the will of another, but really there is a little (or a lot) of resistance going on. It is like the age-old adage of us sitting down on the outside but standing up on the inside! Humility is often thought of as being modest or a little bit inferior to another. Humility is really a spirit of deference. It is the respectful and courteous regard of others in our lives - the willingness to take the back seat or to play second fiddle, so to speak. It is the condition of no longer pretending but being real with each other. A truly humble person is not afraid to be themselves around others or God. There are a lot of ways we don't show our humility. One of the most evident is when we say we know everything there is to know about a certain circumstance or issue in our lives. We actually shut the door on growth whenever we are so determined to maintain the "pretense" of knowing it all. There is a danger in being a know-it-all kind of person - it is in never learning from our mistakes! We allow history to continue to repeat itself whenever we are unwilling or unable to accept direction in our failure. Thinking we can handle it ourselves or that we know exactly how to "fix" the problem will keep us from getting the help we really need. Correction requires more than common sense sometimes! Not everything we learn comes through common sense - sometimes it comes because we get still long enough to realize we don't actually know it all!

Humility identifies with someone other than yourself. As long as my viewpoint is turned inwardly, I cannot see what others see, nor can I learn from what they have learned. Learning to identify with other people - truly connecting with them at the heart, mind and spirit levels - opens the door for us to learn their lessons. I don't know about you, but if I can save a little hardship in my own life by learning from it in yours, I am all for that! Some of us are always looking for others who are exactly at our same level of maturity, spiritually / emotionally / or intellectually. I have learned the most from those who had already mastered the skills! I also learn quicker when I have the opportunity to help another walk through where I have already walked! We need to connect with each other in order to grow. The opposite of humility is a condition we could label as arrogance. It is the condition of feeling and acting superior to another. It may be that we dress better, drive a better car, or don't have the same issues in life. Regardless of the reason for the sense of "superiority", the arrogant man or woman actually alienates others rather than drawing them closer. God reminds us it is the humble who receive honor - not the arrogant. The arrogant may "feel special", but the true honor goes to the humble. If everything in life is done as a matter of "showing" oneself as superior to another, it will be a miserable existence. Humble people are not afraid to help another get the honor! When humility is the course of your life, you actually look for opportunities for another to be successful!

One of the hardest things to do is admit your inability. Humble people don't fret it! They are honest to the core - knowing the only way to find help is to admit they actually need it! Arrogant people won't share these inabilities because there is a pretense which must be maintained. When we are willing to let go of the pretense, we actually open the door for the help we so desperately need. Failure is a part of life - get over it! You cannot go through life masking your failure - in time, it will become evident - you can only bury it for so long. Scripture reminds us God actually "opposes" the proud but gives grace to the humble. I don't know about you, but I don't want to be on the side of the field where I look across and see God as my opposition! It is hard to let go of needing to "be right" all the time, but when we do, we realize we begin to gain the wisdom we so desperately require in order to move beyond our failures. Just sayin!

Taking in the small stuff

"Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever." 

(Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi) 

I may not have originated these words, but they are something which really reflects my heart. I live for today - because God never assures me I will have tomorrow here on this earth. I learn for an eternity - because God has assured me I will learn at his feet for all of eternity. There are certain things worth learning - such things make us stronger, giving us depth and breadth which would otherwise be undiscovered in our lives. Have you ever looked at an individual, considered what they "appear" to be like on the outside, and then made an "estimate" of their strength? If I see a guy who is muscular, with a great set of biceps bulging and firm six-pack, I think he must have spent a lot of time developing his strength. If I see a busy man in a business suit stop to help a small child explore the wonder of a snail crossing the sidewalk, I see a totally different kind of strength! There is much to be said about the difference between the outward "appearance" of strength and the inner assurance of strength. 

I ask him to strengthen you by his Spirit—not a brute strength but a glorious inner strength—that Christ will live in you as you open the door and invite him in. And I ask him that with both feet planted firmly on love, you’ll be able to take in with all followers of Jesus the extravagant dimensions of Christ’s love. Reach out and experience the breadth! Test its length! Plumb the depths! Rise to the heights! Live full lives, full in the fullness of God. (Ephesians 3:16-19)

It is what is on the inside which makes the man, not the display of what we see on the outside. Brute strength is good if you need to open a stubbornly sealed jar of pickles, but inner strength is even more awesome when you see it manifest in the ability to sense the opportunities that otherwise would be wasted if passed by. Brute strength is the result of consistent work-outs. Don't get me wrong, there is nothing bad about a good physique or a "tight" body, but if it is our ultimate goal, we miss something more valuable than rippled muscles and tight abs. Inner strength is "learned" - not as a result of "working out" in the gym, but in "working out" at the feet of Jesus - getting into his Word often enough to allow it to build 'spiritual muscle'. We have a "personal trainer" of sorts, better known as the Holy Spirit, just for the purpose of helping to develop this inner strength - this 'spiritual muscle' that will help us stand strong even when the pressures grow by the minute.

The strength of the inner man comes in looking first at where we plant our feet. If you have ever been in any athletic game such as baseball or basketball, you might have heard your coach tell you to "plant your feet". With this simple instruction, you are being urged to get a "stance" which will aid you in having the "base" or "foundation" upon which to build a solid hit, send a carefully calculated pass, or hit some mark down the course. Some believe having both feet solidly placed means you are not willing to try anything new. We are to plant our feet firmly on love - not human love, but the love of God which permeates us with the vastness of his grace. Where we "plant" our feet is as important as having them planted. It is in planting them solidly in his love where we begin to have the inner strength of our being expanded. We begin to experience the vastness of his love by getting to know the breadth of that love. Maybe this is best expressed in the promise from scripture: As far as east is from west—that’s how far God has removed our sin from us. (Psalm 103:12) 

Now that is some "breadth", isn't it? Think on it - as far as the east is from the west - this is how far God's love expands, for his love is the basis of all our sin being removed! We need to test its length. Part of experiencing something is to "test" it. In other words, you see if it endures, holds up under pressure. Explore the "lasting power" of God's love - it endures when nothing else does. Plumb the depth and rise to the heights of God's love. His love is found in the deepest sorrows of our soul and in the soaring "wins" of the mountain-top experiences. You know, it will take me an eternity to understand God's love fully - and even when I think I finally do understand it, I probably still won't. What I see and understand about his love only scratches the surface right now. My "finite" understanding is ever expanding, but I know it is limited by what I can see today, understand with my mind, and interpret with my emotion. In eternity, I will continue to learn at his feet. How about you? We need to truly learn to live for today - not letting the opportunities pass us by. The very "snail" we stop to observe could be the thing which leads us to the next great step in our lives! Just sayin!

Is it today or tomorrow that we get that?

There is clearly a difference from being willing to learn and being excited to be taught. It was Winston Churchill who reminded us, "Personally I'm always ready to learn, although I don't always like being taught." We won't always like the topic we are learning, nor will we be in the best of mindsets to receive what is being taught. There are still going to be those 'lesson moments' when we hope to make it through relatively unscathed. We are just getting through it by the skin of our teeth.

What a God we have! And how fortunate we are to have him, this Father of our Master Jesus! Because Jesus was raised from the dead, we’ve been given a brand-new life and have everything to live for, including a future in heaven—and the future starts now! God is keeping careful watch over us and the future. The Day is coming when you’ll have it all—life healed and whole. (1 Peter 1:3 MSG)

In the meantime, there is a whole lot of discomfort on more occasions than we'd like as we are taught what it is we need to learn along this pathway called "life". We are headed to a life healed and whole, but along the way we might just discover how 'unhealthy' and 'broken' we really are. God isn't surprised by our desire to learn, and he is equally not surprised when we find ourselves feeling a little like life caught us unaware. He knows we have difficulty with staying focused, so he designs specific learning moments that help us to recognize how much we still have to learn and just how broken we are without his health making us whole again.

Many of us live for some time in the future. Don't believe me? How many of us have a retirement fund of some sorts set aside for the day we retire from our regular, day to day employment routine? Isn't preparing for our income at that time actually living for some time in the future? Today we are focused on all the things that need to be done and setting aside that little nest-egg for that day in the future when we won't have to punch the clock any longer. This isn't something God frowns on because he asks us to steward well all the increase he brings into our lives. Yet, there are places in our lives that remain untouched and unprepared simply because we see them as 'future' and not for the here and now.

The future starts now. God isn't preparing us in the flash of an eye for all he has prepared for us to enjoy in his presence - he is preparing us in the now for all that we will come to fully enjoy in the future. Today we see and understand only fragments of what we will come to fully understand in the future. This incremental growth in our understanding is the way we learn - not all at once. All God is doing today in our lives leads up to all that he has prepared for us in the future, but the future isn't really anything we 'put off' - it is embraced with each new breath!

It is Christ in us that brings us into our future - it is Christ in us that makes every moment of today an opportunity to learn something new - to see life through his eyes and not just our own. We get so caught up in the here and now, we miss some of the beauty of what he has prepared for us right now. We don't want to see some of these things because we don't 'feel worthy' of them. To that I simply say, "That's bunk!" We are declared worthy and we are brought into his safe-keeping. In that moment, we become students of his grace. This is a life-long journey into our full future, but we are living our future with each new embrace of grace in our lives. Grace made our future possible - grace brings our future into our today, also. Just sayin!

Hand me the pick-ax

Undeterred - not able to be restrained from action. Wouldn't most of us like to say our walk with Jesus is rather "undeterred" - there is nothing that distracts us, keeps us from moving forward, or discourages us in our pursuit of right-living? Truth be told, there are a whole lot of things that 'deter' us each and every day - most of which we have total control over! The commission given to the disciples was to "go", followed closely by "train". Both are significant action words - one suggesting we don't remain stagnant, firmly planted somewhere, not moving - while the other signifies a specific course of action. My BFF is bilingual and she often attempts to help me gain a little bit of conversational Spanish along the way. My Spanish is helpless! It is as though my mind has a barrier to retaining this stuff! She aptly points out that I have no problem learning something new when it comes to Excel database writing, so why do I have a road-block to learning Spanish? I think it has to do with the 'action' I invest in the pursuit! Much of what we realize in life is because of some action - we take steps toward something and we begin to see the progress made with each step. Many of us stop way short of the progress we should be making, simply because we don't take the next step!

Jesus, undeterred, went right ahead and gave his charge: “God authorized and commanded me to commission you: Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you. I’ll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20 MSG)

Where would we be today if the disciples just stopped short of their commission? The first churches wouldn't have been planted. The first missionaries wouldn't have carried the message outside of the city gates. The 'first' always marks the beginning - the hope is that their will always be a 'next'. Thomas Edison said, "Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work." Sad truth, but the truth nonetheless. We often don't 'go' because it involves work. We don't 'train' because it is kind of hard to learn some of this stuff ourselves. We have a preconceived idea about how opportunity comes our way in life - we think silver platter, while God thinks 'get out the pick-ax'. We want it all when it comes to the blessings, but weare seldom comfortable getting out of our comfort zone when the blessing requires a little effort on our part!

While I know this passage is about the 'Great Commission' - the sending out of the disciples to make converts of many - I also think it applies to our everyday life. We need to see the pattern of go and train. As we go, we are learning. As we take action, results begin to follow. As we go, others are encouraged by our progress. It is a cycle - one goes, another is touched, now two are going, and so on. We don't 'go' alone. In just that same way, we aren't expected to learn the life lessons alone - we are guided into learning, but there is effort on our part to learn. We are given the tools, but we have to take them up and use them. I have lots of gardening tools, but my garden doesn't reflect anything about these tools until they are used. It may not reveal it was a pick-ax that loosened the soil beneath the surface, but without that pick-ax, the soil would be impenetrable. Without hard work, we might just not get 'trained' in the things God wants us to know and experience in life. Just sayin!

Help me to get this one

We are often reminded of the importance of allowing the moral foundation of our lives to be rebuilt or "re-formed" by the hand of God, in order to affect the choices that ultimately work to form our reputation. Add to that the attribute of spiritual understanding and you have a recipe for a strong walk. This is definitely more than a personal interpretation of the things contained in the Word of God. It involves all our intellectual faculties for sure, but it also involves the power to discern - to really identify truth from fiction and then to embrace only truth, dismissing all fiction (deception) from our lives.

So don't lose a minute in building on what you've been given, complementing your basic faith with good character, spiritual understanding, alert discipline, passionate patience, reverent wonder, warm friendliness, and generous love, each dimension fitting into and developing the others. With these qualities active and growing in your lives, no grass will grow under your feet, no day will pass without its reward as you mature in your experience of our Master Jesus. Without these qualities you can't see what's right before you, oblivious that your old sinful life has been wiped off the books.

(2 Peter 1:5-9)

Discernment is the ability to recognize something for what it is - in other words, it is the application of knowledge (what we know) to what it is we are interpreting. If we are using "natural" discernment, we are relying on the past experiences we have had and what we have amassed in our years of learning (education, exposure to research, etc.) to "interpret" the new information or experience we are encountering. The problem with this type of discernment is that it is limited by our experiences and exposure to things in life. I am limited in my understanding of woodworking, but I have some experiences that tell me some basic tools are necessary. I also understand the truth of measure twice, cut once! These are 'experience' truths - I could learn them from a book, but the more I do a little woodworking here and there, the more I 'experience' the opportunities to relearn these truths.

Spiritual discernment involves the process of taking what we are exposed to and running it through a series of "testing" filters to ensure that we are interpreting it correctly - not solely upon past experience and outcomes. These include the Word of God, the direction of the Holy Spirit, and our own conscience. If what we are interpreting "checks out" through these filters (lines up with the Word, doesn't get us a "check" in our spirit, etc.), we are usually safe to embrace the learning, tackle the project, or pursue the path before us. If it does not, we need to step back and "regroup" with God on the matter. It is that 'regrouping moment' that often saves the heartache and hardship of pursuing an incorrect course with our actions. It is that specific action we often are missing in our walk - taking time to hear what God has to say on the matter.

Discernment involves the ability to distinguish between two or more "criteria" and find the truth in it, know the direction we are to take, etc. As we grow in our understanding of the Word of God, for instance, we find it takes less time to distinguish truth when we are hearing it. The Holy Spirit brings to our remembrance what we have previously studied, allowing it to deny or confirm what it is that we are being exposed to today. When we say someone has a discerning taste for some particular food item, we are acknowledging their ability to appreciate the small nuances contained within each dish. They are able to not only 'taste' the finished product, but they are able to distinguish what has gone into the completion of that product.

Spiritual understanding grows as we are exposed to the things God has given us for our development - the Word, solid teaching, etc. Understanding is never a stagnant thing - it develops over time, constantly being expanded and renewed - and tested. I know that things I had been exposed to in the Word a long time ago can come alive in a new way when I am exposed to those same things today. Why is this? It is simply that I have grown in my understanding by little bits here and there - you, too. We have allowed the Word to affect us - giving us new "filtering" capacity. What we "filtered" one way in the youth of our Christian walk may have a totally different application to us today.

If we are to develop a solid moral foundation, we need our spiritual understanding to be developed. Development is always a process - it is one foot in front of the other - not leaps and bounds. To this small iota of knowledge about how God works we see added another iota of knowledge. This is repeated over and over again, until our knowledge of God's ways of working in our lives is increased. In time, this serves as a basis of "interpreting" how we respond to what circumstances life brings our way.  If we expect to rely solely upon experience to get us through, we will find our discernment is very limited. We need God's guidance added to that experience - this is what will help us develop a solid foundation upon which we move forward. Just sayin!

Okay, I finally get that one....

There are times take a little ribbing from my friends because I like to learn new things and get excited about stuff like learning new formulas in Excel, or finding out the origin of certain words or sayings.  I have a curious mind that is only satisfied when I have discovered a new fact - like taking something apart to see how it works, or discovering the name of a bug that crawls out of a hole in my back yard.  I know they say curiosity killed the cat, but I am not a cat! I think an inquisitive mind is given to us by God himself and he delights in seeing us put it to good use! According to scripture, if we are the kind of people that love learning, then we will also love the discipline that goes with it.  Most of us could say that we are open to learning new things, but does discipline REALLY have to be part of it?!? I mean, come on God, does discipline REALLY have to be part of us discovering new stuff?

If you love learning, you love the discipline that goes with it— how shortsighted to refuse correction!  (Proverbs 12:1 MSG)

The process of learning requires that we take in knowledge, or perhaps learn the steps of a new skill through the process of being instructed either in person or through self-study.  We go through a process with learning - it is systematic - precept upon precept, line upon line, step upon step.  Learning is seldom "instantaneous", although it can be.  Putting my hand on a hot item the first time without any potholder to protect it certainly became an 'instantaneous' kind of learning moment. The injuries of the blister and subsequent 'burn healing' "convinced" me to use the wisdom God gave me to place something between my hand and the hot object the next time.  Oh, don't get me wrong - there were lots of warnings from other more sage in this cooking skill than I was, but those warnings weren't enough. So, could we say it was "instantaneous" - not really.  I had been exposed to the knowledge part a lot earlier, but chose to not apply what I knew to be true until I was injured.

It amazes me to know that this is also how we sometimes approach the learning we experience in our spiritual walk, relationships, and tough decisions.  We get repeated exposure to the opportunity to learn - but somehow, we don't take it seriously until we are in the midst of a really painful situation!  We call this type of learning "behavior modification" - we engage in a behavior, it produces an "ill effect", and we recoil when we experience the effect.  Do this long enough and you will eventually recoil from the very thought of even engaging in that behavior - your behavior becomes modified! God doesn't want us to have to experience "bad stuff" in order to "modify" our behavior, though.  He wants us to embrace the process of learning - willingly, enthusiastically, and with a trust in the one who is doing the teaching.  Learning is a process of first being able to take in the knowledge - having an open heart.  Then we must have open minds - being able to discover what truth he is revealing.  To this, he requires a need to have "hearing" - this is a combination of both an open heart and an open mind.  It is this "hearing" that brings us to the place where we finally "know" the truth that is being revealed (like when I realized that my injuries could have been minimized had I been properly protected).

Discipline is the type of training that corrects - it molds us or perfects our mental faculties enough that our moral character is affected by it.  The truth is that we need to couple learning with discipline.  We can take this to mean that we need to be "disciplined" in our learning - and this would be one truth that we could adopt immediately.  Yet, there is a deeper meaning - that learning becomes the most effective when it includes elements of disciplined correction, or the perfecting of those things that need to be changed in our character.  The end of all teaching (as God sees it) is a greater awareness of just how much our "self" interferes with our character growth and our embracing of that which will finally deal with "self" issues that need to be 'gone' or 'corrected' in our lives.  That means that if we truly love learning, we will whole-heartedly embrace the discipline or correction that comes along with it!  I was always disappointed when my teachers would return a paper to me with a grade that suggested I had not "learned" the materials.  Some students in the class would just accept that grade and go on getting that same grade throughout the entire semester. That "grade" made me try harder - study more, get another viewpoint on the material presented, etc.  I guess that is why they gave the grade in the first place - to show us where we needed improvement.  

God doesn't use a "grading" system to show us where we need to embrace learning in our lives - but he does use the promptings of the Holy Spirit to show us where we are responding inappropriately, believing stuff that is dangerous to our moral development, or surrounding ourselves with things or relationships that will distract us from what is important.  We would do well to learn to appreciate the "discipline" of learning!  It provides an opportunity for our development that we'd never experience otherwise. Just learnin!

A different perspective helps

 All praise to the God and Father of our Master, Jesus the Messiah! Father of all mercy! God of all healing counsel! He comes alongside us when we go through hard times, and before you know it, he brings us alongside someone else who is going through hard times so that we can be there for that person just as God was there for us. We have plenty of hard times that come from following the Messiah, but no more so than the good times of his healing comfort—we get a full measure of that, too.

(2 Corinthians 1:3-5)

Most of us don't want to consider that the hard times we are going through yourself may be designed for us to learn what we will need to know in order to come alongside someone else going through a hard time.  When we are in times of trial and the way seems pretty awful to us, the last thing we think of is that God would make us an instrument of his grace in the life of another!  As a matter of fact, we usually are thinking, "Get me through this as fast as possible, God! I want out!" The Apostle Paul spent a good deal of his ministry under house-arrest in a Roman prison - that is somewhat of a 'trial' for sure.  He was not free to go about the work of the ministry as he would have liked to - he had to resort to writing epistles, teaching what he could through his writings when his 'itinerant' ministry was put to a halt.  From his place of imprisonment, he penned the majority of the words we have recorded for us as the Pauline epistles.  His attitude was one of trust in his God, not chafing against the trials he endured, but embracing them for the value they produced in his life.  It is apparent that he had come to understand God comes alongside in order to not only bring him through the trial, but to prepare him to come alongside others in similar trials.

Being human, we sometimes focus on the hard times more than we focus on the good times, finding it easier to gravitate toward what is NOT right, focusing only superficially on what IS right.  Why is it that we go to the bad before we ever think upon the good?  Simply put, it is because we have a sin nature - we are pursuing what come NATURALLY to us. God's mission is to change that nature. His plan is to use the things of this life to expose the sinful side of our choices, motivations, and attitudes. It is 'this life' which is at his disposal to become 'teachable moments' for each of us. In so doing, he also is there to replace wrong choices with correct ones - something we often resist because it isn't very comfortable for us. He affects what motivates us by getting into our heart and spirit. In moving upon our emotions, setting them straight where they are all messed up, he begins to affect our attitude. In time, our sinful desires, patterns of behavior, are changed.

A question comes to mind: How can a Christian can grow up? Truthfully, the one asking this question is struggling with something they are trying to "grow out of" - most of growing up is really growing out of something.  Most of us are looking for a formula to follow - some mystical advice that will change everything in our lives almost instantly - like when we wanted so much to blossom into women, or grow that first facial hair. We want it so bad, until we realize 'growing up' isn't all that easy! The means to growing up: Don't resist the trials! Not what you expected? Well, it is the way God does business and we cannot circumvent his methods no matter how hard we try.  In the trial, he comes alongside. He is there, not as an observer, but as a participant in bringing us through with grace, peace, and exuberant mercy. He even provides others to assist us in the "moving through" phase of the trial.  

This Christian walk is not mystical - there is no immediate, instant growth process. There is no formula to follow. In fact, it is one consistent opportunity after another opportunity designed to help us lay down one pattern of sinful behavior or selfish attitude, taking up new patterns of righteous living and Christlike attitudes. Step one today, in today's trial, may not even be the same the same step required tomorrow. God is after our obedience, not a system of rules or regulations we follow - so the steps change from time to time. The next time you are in the heat of the trial, ask God who he will be bringing you alongside to help in their time of trial - who is it he is preparing you to be of assistance with later on as they move into their place of growth. Having the attitude that you are in the trial with Christ alongside and for the purpose of becoming a means of blessing for another can make it less difficult to bear up under. Knowing he will use us to come alongside another in similar trial gives us hope that we will get through the present trial! Just sayin!

Relearning those lessons?

If you love learning, you love the discipline that goes with it— how shortsighted to refuse correction! (Proverbs 12:1)

Once in a while, I take a little heat from my friends because I like to learn new things and relish a good 'how to' book or discovery while searching facts on the internet. I have a curious mind that is only satisfied when I have discovered a new fact - like taking something apart to see how it works, or discovering the name of a bug that crawls out of a hole in my back yard. The writer of Proverbs says that if we are the kind of people that love learning, then we will also love the discipline that goes with it. Most of us could say that we are open to learning new things, but does discipline REALLY have to be part of it? According to God, yes. According to me....uhm, no thanks!

The process of learning requires that we take in knowledge or a new skill through the process of being instructed or through some means of self-study. We go through a process of learning - it is usually quite systematic. Learning is seldom "instantaneous", although it can be. Sometimes we approach the learning we experience in our spiritual walk with the expectation we will get some "instantaneous" learning experience and then be able to move on. Honestly, I find that doesn't happen too often. Instead, we get those repeated learning opportunities. We get repeated exposure to whatever it is we need to learn - but have you noticed that somehow, for some reason, we don't take it seriously until we are in the midst of a really painful situation! We call this type of learning "behavior modification" - we engage in a behavior, it produces an "ill effect", and we recoil when we experience the effect. Do this long enough and you will eventually recoil from the very thought of even engaging in that behavior - your behavior becomes modified! Most of us need to be honest here and admit that we need some 'modifying'!

God doesn't want us to have to experience the "bad stuff" in order to "modify" our behavior, though. He wants us to embrace the process of learning - willingly, enthusiastically, and with a trust in the one who is doing the teaching - HIM. Learning is a process of first being able to take in the knowledge - having an open heart to his teaching is foremost. Then we must have open minds - being able to discover what truth he is revealing, because we are paying attention. To this, he adds that we need to have "hearing" - this is a combination of both an open heart and an open mind - we rarely just hear with our ears. It is this "hearing" that brings us to the place where we finally "know" the truth that is being revealed. Discipline is the type of training that corrects - it molds us or perfects our mental faculties enough that our moral character is affected by it. The passage points to the fact we need to couple learning with discipline. We could take that to mean that we need to be "disciplined" in our learning - and this would be one truth that we could adopt from this verse. Yet, the meaning God probably has in mind is that learning becomes the most effective when it includes elements of disciplined correction, or the perfecting of those things that need to be changed in our inward character.

The end of all teaching (as God sees it) is a greater awareness of just how much our "self" interferes with our character growth and then the embracing of that which will finally deal with "self" so that our character is changed. That means that if I truly love learning, I will whole-heartedly embrace the discipline or correction that comes along with it! I was always disappointed when my teachers would return a paper to me with a grade that suggested I had not "learned" the materials. Some students in the class would just accept that grade and go on getting that same grade throughout the entire semester. That "grade" made me try harder - study more, get another viewpoint on the material presented, etc. I guess that is why they gave the grade in the first place - to show us where we needed improvement. God doesn't use a "grading" system to show us where we need to embrace learning in our lives - but he does use the promptings of the Holy Spirit to show us where we are responding inappropriately, believing stuff that is dangerous to our moral development, or surrounding ourselves with things that will distract us from what is important. We would do well to learn to appreciate the "discipline" of learning! It provides an opportunity for our development that we'd never experience otherwise. Just sayin!

Novice to expert

10 The master may get better work from an untrained apprentice than from a skilled rebel! (Proverb 26:10 TLB)

I was thinking about a particular issue a friend is having within the group of individuals who work within her department. It is possible the issues would resolve if the processes and workflows improved. It is practical to think if we 'fix' the issues, all will be well, isn't it? In reality, sometimes it is the leader who must be 'fixed' before the processes! It is the leader's heart that must be right as we often heard Solomon speaking to in the wisdom he left us with in the book of Proverbs. Really, the first 'issue' we must always focus on is the heart behind each action. A leader doesn't lead so much with 'good ideas' as he does with a 'good heart'. 

Many years ago, given my first responsibility as a leader, I remember struggling from day to day with all kinds of issues I just didn't think could possibly be linked to anything I was doing. I wanted to believe it was all 'them' - because I thought I was leading well. There are times we find ourselves having 'dug in' on some decision. We know the way it 'should be' or the way we 'want it to be' - both may be perfectly good and there is no real fault that can be found with the desired outcome. Yet, if we fail to create the vision, building trust as we do, we find those we lead are not sure about where we are headed. The lack of direct communication of a vision is oftentimes the beginning of chaos as we attempt to move in any particular direction!

As that new leader, I would have to admit I was more like an 'untrained apprentice' than a skilled rebel, but it was than 'untrained' side of me that failed to connect all the dots. I wasn't doing a good job of establishing trust within the group I was leading because I did not take time to share well. In homes everywhere, there are 'leaders' of those homes leading the blind! The blind are their own families - not really sure what the vision for their family really is because mom and dad haven't done a good job of creating that vision, establish that purpose, and guide in those actions. In work environments across this land, people go into work day after day, confused as to the purpose of the actions they are taking. It isn't that they don't want to understand - they just haven't received what they need to really guide their actions.

Novice to expert - one would think that pathway is so very easy, but it is riddled with all manner of continual learning. If you didn't figure it out by now, continual learning means we are continually making mistakes! Mistakes that have to be corrected before we can move on. While I am not sure about all the mistakes I have made along the way, I know the many course corrections I have had to make! Trust me on this - those course corrections cost way more than if I had just done a better job of charting the course out ahead of time! Just sayin!

One more Cheerio

Heed counsel, act on instruction, and you will become wise later in life. The impulses of the human heart may run wild, but the Eternal’s plan will prevail. (Proverbs 19:20-21 VOICE)

I imagine there aren't too many of us that want to go through life not ever learning anything at all. In fact, we began life by exploring things around us until we became acquainted with what they were and how we could "engage" with whatever it was. If it was a toy that would make noise when shaken, we delighted in the discovery of that simple movement producing something which could make us that giddy. If it was the splendor of spearing our first Cheerio on fingertip and actually accomplishing the arrival of said Cheerio into our waiting mouth, we reveled in the moment of satisfying crunch and awesome display of advancing hand-eye "skill". As we got older, the things we found ourselves learning may not have been that simple, or produced that much enthusiastic glee in the accomplishing, but they are lessons embraced, skills learned, and treasures we can lay up, nonetheless.

Probably the greatest "skill" we learn over the course of time living out live in the presence of Jesus is this idea of how "wild" our hearts can be and how much they actually need a little "taming" with regards to the stuff they find themselves attracted to so easily. God made us with "heart" because passion is a big part of us learning new things, embracing new challenges, and being determined in our focus. Without heart, we are merely robots! So, learning how to "tame" the heart is a good thing, but one which requires skill way beyond our own personal talent. It requires the skill of the craftsman who made it in the first place!

Two things God asks of us in this process of "taming" our hearts: Heed his counsel and act on his instruction.  To heed really means we simply pay attention. A long time ago, someone told me they know I am paying attention because I am present with them in the moment - there is some type of connection made between us that lets them know I am right there, totally focused, and intent on what they are sharing or doing.  I don't think it is much different in our relationship with Jesus  -  he wants us there "present in the moment" -  not star-gazing or mindlessly nodding our ascent to something he asks us to do.  The closer we listen to his counsel, the more we will be able to understand his instruction and act upon it without hesitation. Now, let me assure you, I don't always act without hesitation - sometimes I need a little convincing the thing I am about to do is the right thing in the right timing.  The more I listen to his counsel, the easier it becomes for me to actually move when he tells me to move and sit still when he knows I am about to make a pretty unwise move!

The "taming" of our hearts isn't really rocket science - it is purely focused obedience. Turning our attention to him, listening intently to what he instructs, then putting one foot in front of the other in obedience to what he asks. The first time we speared the Cheerio was a surprise to us that we actually accomplished such an advanced feat. The second one was probably as equally surprising, but in time, the movement of those Cheerios into the empty space of our mouths became a thing of beauty. We didn't stop there, though, because eventually a spoon was added to the high chair tray and we began that "learning" process all over again. We aren't going to just heed and act once - it is a continual process! Just sayin!

Studying hard

Make me hear of Your faithful love in the morning, for I trust in You.  Teach me how I should walk, for I offer my soul up to You.  Rescue me from my enemies, Eternal One, for You are my shelter from them.  Teach me how to do Your will, for You are my God.  Allow Your good Spirit to guide me on level ground, to guide me along Your path.  (Psalm 143:8-10 VOICE)

There are a number of action words in this passage which will be our focus this morning. Why?  God's plan for us is not for us to just come to him and then think it will be "life on a silver platter" moving forward.  He wants us to realize there are actions required of us - as with any other relationship - it must be developed, maintained, and continually refreshed in order to remain vital, flourishing, and able to be reproduced in others.  Let's see what God says:

MAKE:  Hearing is sometimes not as easy as someone speaking and the other person just somehow having the words "sink in" so they have their desired effect.  In most cases, things might need to be said again, in a similar, but different way just so the other person will even have their interest in "hearing" tickled a little bit!  If you have raised children, you know exactly what I am talking about on this one - kids all "hear" at a different level because they are selective about what and who they actually "listen to" in life.  They will hear the same message time and time again from their parents only to somehow think they heard it the very first time from their best friend!  We often need to ask God to help us to hear - because we don't always want to hear the truth.  The truth might just make us a little uncomfortable, so we might want to avoid it.  God doesn't "make" us do anything - he relies upon our willingness to do it.  When we finally come to the place where we admit we haven't been listening and that we actually desire to hear, he is more than willing to make the adjustments in our lives to help us to hear.  Beware of this request, though!  It carries with it some adjustments we may not realize when we pray it!  Hearing is not always possible until there has been an adjustment in our attitude.  Attitude adjustments require some movement on our part - so don't be surprised if asking to hear brings some attention to those areas which might not be exactly as they should be in our lives.

TEACH:  Walking isn't learned through osmosis.  We don't just wake up one day and find ourselves walking with stability, strength, and perfect balance.  It is trial and error, at best, and we find ourselves falling a lot in the process.  Our psalmist isn't just asking God to show him how to walk, but to actually teach him how it is done.  A teacher does more than stand at the front of the room and demonstrate something.  The teacher repeats the instructions, oversees the efforts of the student, and encourages them when they make the right steps toward the desired results.  If adjustments are needed to ensure they are learning in a way which produces a stable process in achieving the end result, they are guided in those adjustments.  It is foolish for us to think we can simply wake up one morning knowing how to take each and every step along this path we call "being a Christian".  Finding balance between what we want to do, what we should do, and when it should be done is hard. We need more than the rule book to guide us - we need someone to interpret the rules and show us how to live them out in a very practical sense!

RESCUE:  Many of us think this walk with Jesus will be kind of "trouble-free" and are a little surprised when we find our there are pitfalls along the way.  I think of the disciples who found themselves smack-dab in the middle of a pretty tumultuous storm in the midst of their attempting to cross over from one spot in their journey to another.  Their boat began to toss to and fro, the waves almost causing them to be out of control, while waters filled the boat and the rowing they attempted wasn't seeming to get them anywhere closer to the safety of shore.  Their journey was far from trouble-free, even with Jesus right there in the middle of the boat.  Their intent was to go about what they normally did - finding themselves in the midst of something they didn't count on or know if they'd actually be able to ride out despite the presence of Jesus with them.  The storms of life sometimes catch us up, give us a few more challenges than we might expect, and seem like they are about to take us under - even with Jesus right there along for the ride!  Oftentimes we want deliverance, but haven't quite realized the one who is right there along on the ride - because he is silent, almost "obscure" in his presence.  Yet, when we turn to him for rescue, he is immediate in his response just as he was to calm the storm and silence the winds that night.

ALLOW:  Doing the will of God and getting to our destination on "level ground" isn't always the easiest of tasks for us - we like to complicate things by taking paths not quite as level as we might have been up to handling.  As I hiked in the forests around Northern Arizona over the past week, I wanted to be constantly cognizant of staying on the trails as they were marked out for me.  As we neared one particularly stretch of trail, there were warning signs indicating veering from the trail could cost us both a fine and possibly get us put into some kind of situation where we could even face charges for trespassing in a protected sanctuary for the bald eagle.  So, needless to say, we heeded the warnings - as neither of us were really keen on spending time in jail or giving up our hard-earned monies for some glance at an eagle's nest!  These patches of forest land were not for us to pass through, while the other paths were well-marked and indicated a safe passage.  We were "allowed" passage along the perimeter of the nesting area, just not passage into it.  Sometimes the will of God is like the trail system - we are allowed certain passage unrestricted, but at other times we are encouraged to avoid passage in another direction.  Why isn't it that the restricted things in life aren't "fenced in" with some type of barbed wire to keep us from passing into them?  I think it is because God is really looking at how well we have heard, learned, and trusted. In essence, he is seeing if we have been good students!  Just sayin!

Hit it again!

I have celebrated Your testimonies as though rejoicing over an immeasurable fortune.  I will fix my mind on Your instructions and my eyes on Your path.  I will find joy in Your ordinances; I will remember Your word forever.  (Psalm 119:14-16 VOICE)

I think the words of George A. Moore speak a lot about my heart at times:  "The wrong way always seems the most reasonable."  He also said, "The difficulty in life is the choice." How true!  We have lots and lots of paths in life to choose - knowing with a certainty which one is the "right" one is not always as plain as one may think.  Some of these paths are choices we make at the spur of the moment, such as when we choose to pick an argument with another over words or actions which just occurred.  We don't get a lot of warning, or foreknowledge they are about to happen.  It isn't like there is a natural, built-in "early warning system" ready to fire off in our minds which announces we are about to make a really unwise choice. In fact, we have to cultivate our minds in order to create a sense of awareness to these potential pitfalls.  It is like the one who is an experienced white-water rafter, able to recognize the patterns of changes in the water, constantly "reading" the horizon to be able to plan how the raft will have to be navigated through those waters.

The rafter observes things like the subtle changes in the pattern of the water's flow, revealing what may be hidden rocks just beneath the surface, causing the waters to divert ever so slightly around that obstacle.  He may also observe the change in the horizon where the waters seem totally flat against the walls of the canyon in which the water is flowing, suggesting a sudden drop-off such as a waterfall.  Did the rafter know all these things when he set out on the waterway?  No, but he develops his senses, such that of listening for a rise in the "roar" of the water, suggesting he is coming upon a place of rapids and tenuous passage.  He "tunes in" with all he has - sight, hearing, feel.  In turn, he learns to "read" the waters - but not always the first time he passes over them!  Sometimes he gets bumped up against some pretty big rocks because he wasn't paying attention!

As our psalmist points out, fixing our minds on learning will go a long way toward helping us develop this "early warning system" we need to navigate around or away from the things in our path which will spell our doom if unnoticed and unheeded.  There is no better place to learn what to avoid and how to avoid it, what path must be navigated, etc., than to spend time in God's Word and time allowing that word to take hold in our lives.  Too many times we give God's Word a cursory glance or two, thinking we have "spent time" with God in the process.  We really aren't taking time to celebrate his testimonies, engage with his instructions, or heed his warnings.  

I recently had to buy a new garage door opener because the other one just wore out after 22 years of very good service.  In the process, I had to reteach my car to communicate with the new opener.  It took a while to figure out the technology wasn't talking to the garage door opener, though.  I just kept following the instructions and rereading them to figure out if I missed a step, because it wasn't working.  Eventually, I read a little further in the instructions which came with the opener to realize I may need something referred to as a "learning repeater".  The car wasn't "learning" the signal, so it needed this repeater device to "teach" it to receive the signal.  I think maybe we are all a little like my car as it comes to learning how to make things work in our lives.  It isn't that a signal isn't being sent by God, it is that we aren't able to receive it until we get a "repeater" working to help us learn it!  Just sayin!

Learning what we already know

"It is impossible to begin to learn that which one thinks one already knows."  (Epictetus) This is so true, isn't it?  We might think we are open to learning new things until we actually realize we have developed a thought pattern which already sees our viewpoint as "right" or "the best".  In essence, we shut our minds and hearts to any further intake of knowledge simply by thinking we already have it all figured out!  Maybe this is why scripture warns us to not think more highly of ourselves than we ought, or that we are to remember the heart is pretty deceitful.  Epictetus also said, "The two powers which in my opinion constitute a wise man are those of bearing and forbearing."  To bear, one must take up, or come under a load so as to carry it for another.  To forbear, one must not given into the tiny annoyances which life (and sometimes people) send our way while not reacting to them in a negative or unkind manner.

...pass on to you these proverbs—a treasury of wisdom—so that you would recognize wisdom and value discipline; that you would understand insightful teaching and receive wise guidance to live a disciplined life; that you would seek justice and have the ability to choose what is right and fair.  These proverbs teach the naive how to become clever; they instruct the young in how to grow in knowledge and live with discretion.  The wise will pay attention to these words and will grow in learning, and the discerning will receive divine guidance, and they will be able to interpret the meaning of a proverb and a puzzle, the twists and turns in the words of the wise and their riddles.  (Proverbs 1:1-6 VOICE)

To recognize wisdom and value discipline one must come to the place of realizing he or she doesn't know it all, nor is life lived without the need for correction in our course from time to time.  Recognition is nine-tenths of all learning, for without realization one will always be in the same spot, doing the same things over and over again, and getting the same results. If a scientist approached a problem with the same set of steps over and over again thinking he could produce different results, you'd think him mad.  It make sense to repeat the same steps over and over only when you are actually trying to test a theory one might have about the solution as real or trustworthy.  If you didn't get the results you should have the first time, you try again, but you alter what you do slightly so as to get a different result.

The toughest lessons to learn are those you have to "re-learn" sometimes.  Why? I think it may be because we have developed the attitude we already "know that", so why do we need to reinvest the time or energy into learning it again.  Truth is, each time we approach a lesson we thought we had learned earlier in time, we will "re-learn" it in a little bit of a different way the next time we face it.  Why?  We have a new set of experiences in life - things we have born and forborne - and these influence how we will approach what we are about to "re-learn" now.  I think this is what scripture means when we are reminded there is nothing new under the sun (Ecclesiastes 1:9).  What has been will be again - it just isn't exactly the same.

The things we "bear" influence how it is we approach problems in life.  Try taking on a new load when you are already bearing up under a full-load.  It isn't going to work very well for you, is it?  You are about maxed out already, so to take on something new one must lay down something which one has been carrying (bearing).  It amazes me how frequently we don't realize the load we are bearing until we are asked to carry a different one.  It sometimes takes being asked to carry the new load to actually get us to examine what we have been bearing which really might not totally belong in our "pack" in the first place!  

The issues we "forbear" through in life are often those which define how we will face the new ones which arise and give us a little bit of a challenge later on.  Sometimes we are viewed as "holding back" in life, but in reality we are simply forbearing (refraining).  It isn't that we don't want to pursue another form of action, but we are allowing God's grace within to give us the patience to go through what we are facing right now.  We might not see it as valuable right now, but as we go through it to the other side of it, we might have a different perspective.  Patience is not learned in the classroom - it is learned in the living out of what we have been trying to learn!  Just sayin!

Learning vs. being taught

It was Winston Churchill who once said, "I am always ready to learn although I do not always like being taught." Boy, isn't that the truth! I like learning new things, but there are a whole lot more times I resist being taught more than I'd like to admit! Life is full of teachable moments, but not all of us are great at actually engaging with the moments. According to scripture, a good student is one who "closely observes" and then "follows instructions".  A good student will not only follow instructions, but he will observe so as to emulate or "reproduce" the behavior / actions of the one he is observing. I like watching those cooking shows on TV, but do you know how many of those recipes I actually make?  Zero!  I don't even come close!  What they do provide for me is a seed thought of how I might make or use something differently than I had in the past.  Oftentimes, this is a means of learning we may not really count on happening - reserving something we have seen, heard, or experienced for use at a later time in life, but not always in exactly the same way we observed it.

You have been a good student. You have closely observed how I have lived. You’ve followed my instructions, my habits, my purpose, my faith, my patience. You’ve watched how I love and have seen how I endure.  ...So surely you ought to stick to what you know is certain. All you have learned comes from people you know and trust because since childhood you have known the holy Scriptures, which enable you to be wise and lead to salvation through faith in Jesus the Anointed.  All of Scripture is God-breathed; in its inspired voice, we hear useful teaching, rebuke, correction, instruction, and training for a life that is right so that God’s people may be up to the task ahead and have all they need to accomplish every good work.  (2 Timothy 3:10, 14-17 VOICE)

Observation involves our senses.  It stands to reason much of what we learn is taken in through one or more of our senses (sight, touch, smell, etc.).  It also stands to reason we can observe and not have touched, heard and not have seen, etc. Not every sense will be involved as we learn, but science has shown that the more of our senses which are engaged in the learning, the more we usually learn.  I'd like to go one step further with that and say the more of our emotion which engages in the learning, the more we might actually engage with being taught.  As we consider that one, we can probably see the emotion doesn't have to particularly be a good one in order for us to be taught.  Getting our feelings hurt and being left with "raw" emotions abraded by the circumstances we have come through will help us to learn a lesson we may not want to repeat in the future, right?

It also stands to reason we learn some of our deepest and most meaningful lessons in life from those we know and trust.  I hesitated for a long time in asking for advice on how to actually make my investments begin to perform so I would have a little put away for my retirement.  I had to ferret out who I could trust with my financial naivete.  It wasn't easy to know who to listen to, or what patterns of investing to follow because there was a lot of "advice", but very few who actually were accomplishing all they set out to do.  When I finally found someone to advise me, I began to realize I could do things in ways which would position me for a better return on my money, but keep me relatively safe in terms of protecting those investments, as well.  Trust is a big factor in learning - for no one is open to being taught when the one teaching under-performs, over-promises, etc.  

All we learn in life, all those moments we spend being taught, all add up to one end goal - that we will be up to the tasks ahead of us and accomplish what we set out to accomplish. There is no purpose in learning, in subjecting oneself to being taught, if there is no real "goal" in mind.  At first, while being taught some of the lessons I have learned in life, I didn't really know what the "goal" may have been, but as I began to settle in to learn those lessons, I began to see the evolving purpose or goal.  When I set out to lose weight, I might set a goal, but in the end it isn't the number of pounds I lose, it is how I feel when I do.  I know my "healthy weight" and when I achieve that, it produces within in me an ease of movement, reduced pain in my joints, easier breathing as I move, etc. The goal has other ways of affecting my life, not just that those pants in the back of the closet fit again!  Those other "realized goals" may not have been the ones I set when I determined to lose the weight, but they are accomplished as a result of taking the steps toward the goal of losing XX pounds.  Often the things we "realize" in learning one lesson in life provide ample opportunity for us to see how that lesson begins to help us in so many other ways.

As Churchill said, we can set out to learn, but if we aren't really ready to be taught, all the "learning" isn't going to happen as it should.  This is probably why we see "lessons" being "recycled" in our lives - we just weren't quite ready to be taught when the lesson was there for our learning.  Just sayin!

Caution requires attentiveness

In the Book of Proverbs, there is much emphasis on the type of learning which comes by listening and then following the wisdom given to us through our elders, teachers, and good leaders. Wisdom doesn't come with age...it comes because we learn from what we are taught. We all know there is a whole lot of teaching going on each day, but there is far less learning than there is teaching! Learning requires keen observation, good listening, and the willingness to apply what one is taught. Without these three elements, we fall somewhere short of wisdom.

Above all, be careful what you think because your thoughts control your life.  (Proverbs 4:23 ERV)

According to our writer of this proverb, wisdom comes when we actually begin our quest for wisdom by looking for it. We don't look for something unless there is a desire to make a discovery. As I travel, there are occasions when I see signs posted warning me to watch for some form of animal crossing the road. The signs actually alert me to the possibility of one of these large animals just deciding it is the right time to cross the road as I am making my way on my journey. In order to avoid them, I have to discover where they are and be alert to their movement. I think the first step to getting to know God may be a little similar. We are alerted to his presence by the signs we observe. Then we start to look for him in ways we had not previously used, such as when we turn on our bright lights while driving in order to expand our line of sight. The actions of observation lead us to take specific steps to aid us in our ability to make further discovery.

As discovery is made, it leads us to action - the next step in the learning process. Too many times we think we have learned just because we have made discovery of some insight. Let me assure you, it is one thing to observe the herd of elk along the side of the road. It is quite another to understand how nimble they are at jumping fences to get to the other side! We discover their presence, observe their beauty, but until we see them in action, we don't actually learn much! Once we see their action, it alters how we drive and the degree of caution we exhibit in our continued journey. Why? We recognize they can cross our path quickly, in large herds, and with great agility. They don't alter their course just because we are there. They expect us to alter ours! There are times when I think we observe what God is doing and we think he will somehow fit that into what we are doing. We might just do well to not only observe what God reveals to us, but use it to alter how it is we are traveling!

The other part to learning is this idea of avoiding some things along the way. Discovery involves assimilating information into useful knowledge which somehow affects how we live. At times, this means we pursue one course while totally avoiding others. Why? Some hazards exist which need to be avoided and to avoid them we need to be alert to them. We learn by paying attention - tuning in so as to make keen observation. Then we alter our course so we avoid things which are best left alone. We apply the knowledge we are given in order to not only make further discovery, but also to avoid the things which are best left undiscovered in this life!  Just sayin!

Learning from each other

What would you say is your "style" of learning?  There are those who would report they learn "best" when they can see something done for them a couple of times and then they "get the hang of it".  Many are quite adept at reading something in a book, such as a recipe or instructions, then replicating what they have read without much effort.  Then there are those who need to hear something described, see it in action, then be guided through step-by-step until they finally get it.  Most of us will say we "fit" into one style or another, but there are times in my life, depending upon the "thing" I need to learn where I need the teaching style to vary a little to accommodate what it is I need to learn.  For example, I would not say math is my strongest suite in life, but I get along pretty well. It took me a little longer to grasp some of the math "concepts" such as exponents and which fraction had to be "inverted" when you want to divide it and then be multiplied to get the answer.  Once I saw it a few times, heard the instruction, and even read it a couple more, I began to associate the "steps" to take with what I needed to replicate.  Now, knowing "when" to apply each type of equation or mathematical "experience" is another matter!  When does this situation "fit" into this type of expression in mathematical terms - this was the challenge!  Sometimes I go about things in the "long way" because that is how I "get" to where I need to be, but if I get there, does it matter?  My math teacher always told me it did!  I think God thinks it does, too.  He doesn't want us using "any old means" to accomplish the end result - he wants us using the "designed means" each and every time.  Maybe this is why he takes such great effort to help us learn as we need to learn so we can apply as we need to apply! 

Teach children in a way that fits their needs, and even when they are old, they will not leave the right path. (Proverbs 24:6 ERV)

I like how God gives us the same practical advice when it comes to raising our own children.  We aren't supposed to make them fit into some mold we imagine for them, but to design their learning opportunities around their "needs".  In essence, God is saying we don't all learn the same way and to think we do is kind of silly. When we begin to realize the uniqueness of each person we deal with on a daily basis - even those outside of our family - we begin to see there are different needs each of us has in this life.  At times we can be quite "needy" of another's hand-holding and instruction-repeating actions.  At others, we can hear it once and then strike off to get er done!  The issue isn't IF we can learn the needed lesson, but how it is that we will best learn it. 

What "way" fits your needs when it comes to whatever is in front of you today?  I think the "way" is important because it defines how it is we need to approach each other and not just the situation.  In essence, God is telling us people are not made with cookie cutters and our life-lesson opportunities are going to be as varied and unique as each of us is!  If God knows this about us, then he designs various opportunities for us which will help us learn whatever it is he needs to impart into our lives.  He is a creative God - after all, he made you and I and everything we see, feel, hear, taste, or just plain "know" is there even though we cannot see it (like gravity).  So, isn't it reasonable to assume he will be creative in how we learn as we grow in him?

If this is the case, then we might do well to not expect or dictate that another "learn" in the same way we do.  This applies to all manner of things from learning how to manage one's money to learning how to tie one's shoes.  My grandsons learned some "bunny ear" way to tie shoes, while mom "bribed" me with a penny each time I sat down and tied the bow in the "traditional" way.  Now, both of us are able to tie our shoes - but we learned it in a completely unique way. My grandsons are learning this "core math" stuff and coming to the right answers with simple math equations which I just somehow don't always get, but they do!  So, if they get it, who am I to say it is wrong?  I just didn't see the need for "new math" when we already had what everyone touted as "new math" when I was coming through school!

We often criticize or discount as "unworthy" whenever we don't understand something another is going through in their learning process.  We forget they are unique, complete with a unique set of learning needs, and God is designing the perfect "means" or "way" for the life lesson to be worked out in their lives.  We shouldn't criticize, but help them to embrace it according to their "style of learning".  After all, the God who created their very breath created the means by which they would learn this present lesson!  It isn't one-size-fits-all in this thing called life.  It might just take a few tries at the same thing until we get it.  If we stick with it and don't give up, we can count on getting it.  We just might learn something by watching how another learns in this life - because even in "their" lesson, we might take a lesson or two!  Just sayin!