Be Teachable

I am a person who loves to learn. I am a voracious reader, I love watching documentaries, and going to museums. As a result, I have a bunch of random facts floating around in my head that may not ever be useful in everyday life, but it's there just in case. However, as much as I love to learn new things, it's only in certain subject areas. For example, I love literature, some fiction, but mostly non-fiction. I like History and biographies, I love reading about European monarchies, and the stories behind notable people from times past. I have a very extensive vocabulary, and I have always excelled in English, grammar, and spelling. Surprisingly enough, my first career aspiration was to be a sports medicine doctor, because I love football so much. I can't play it, but why not protect the players that do? Here in lies the problem: math and science and I do NOT get along. It has never been my strong point. Asa matter of fact, I venture to say that whenever math goes beyond basic, adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing, my brain shuts down. Whenever science goes beyond, ROYGBIV, H2O, or 23 chromosomes...I'm sunk. I have grades that reflect my struggle.

I had tutors, but I was only putting in the bare minimum just to say I passed. My Point: there are times in life when we don't want to be taught. When it comes to our Christian walk it is unfortunate, because it is the area where we need to be open to the most teaching and correction and it is also the area where we are the most defensive. My pastor says, whenever you are unsure about something, test it against the word of God. The Bible has many passages about having a teachable spirit. One of them comes from one of my favorite books in the Bible, the Book of Proverbs, which I call the book of wisdom. Proverbs chapter 12 verse 1 says "Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid" That is the English Standard Version of the verse, not me paraphrasing. I know it sounds harsh, but the Bible can be harsh in the way of correction. You can years and years thinking and believing one way, and come across a passage or teaching and find you have to correct yourself.

Sometimes God will send someone to correct you, and here is where things get sticky. We live in a world where everyone is so easily offended and defensive. I didn't grow up in a culture like that. The way I was brought up, you learned to respectfully agree to disagree. We didn't cancel friendships and relationships because we couldn't respect each other's opinions. That is why God instructs us to have a teachable spirit because he also instructs us to go to each other in love when we correct each other. Galatians 6:1 says we should use gentleness when we correct. Matthew 7:1 says not to judge, 1 Peter 4:8 teaches us that love covers a multitude of sins, if we extend love and understanding to each other.

I feel like this is a mistake we commonly make as Christians. We so passionately want to correct and lead people on the path of righteousness that we come off as judgemental, we browbeat people and shame them, we come off as self-righteous and most importantly, we don't live a life that is the example of the very thing we are trying to teach and correct. For example, on this Blog, I will never pass on any kind of advice, wisdom, or suggestion based on anything that I don't know, am struggling with, or have not personally experienced. I will also never try to shame anyone based on their beliefs or past transgressions or current struggles because I have had and still have mine. The point of this blog is for us to share this walk together, the ups and downs, and be humble and transparent with each other so that we can daily take up our crossed and strive to be better people in Christ. One of the ways we do that is to be teachable. Maya Angelou said, "When you know better, you do better."

How can you grow, if you're not willing to learn how? When you stand in front of God, when your time comes, and he says he sent you people, leaders, and teachers and nothing changed and you were not obedient to his word....what will you say?