Teachable

"But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them." (II Timothy 3:14)

Good morning, dear friends,

Photo:  geralt pixabay

Because of the kids heading back to school I had a thought that did not die of loneliness as it rattled around in my empty head:

Am I teachable?

Yesterday, I had a Mom-meltdown.  You know the ones that I am talking about.  You put your best efforts into starting off the school year right, getting everyone ready and out the door on time, neat, put together, and happy, and everything starts off great.  Then, as the day goes on and tensions run high, you just....lose it.  And you realize that the efforts that you had been putting out...did not come from the Lord at all, but from your own flesh.  Your wired, tired, weak and stressed flesh.

OK, so not a banner start to the year.

When will I LEARN?

There is such a big difference between "taught" something, and being "teachable."

There are many spiritual lessons that I have been "taught" from God's Word.  You know the ones, maybe the same that you are in the process of learning as well:  love, patience, self-control, meekness, etc.  I know that this is how I am supposed to act.  I have "learned" these lessons, that is, I know that I should be putting this part of God's Word in practice in my life.

Then, there is the "teachable" side.  When I falter in the things I have been "taught," will I be "teachable?"  Will I allow myself to learn from the mistakes that I make, confess my faults and sins to God, and remember them the next time I am in similar situations?

I certainly hope so.

This past week I helped to train two new teachers in giving English lessons to small children.  One thing that impressed me over and over was that these two ladies were teachable.  I did not have to constantly assure them of my years of experience, or show them my qualifications.  They did not constantly reply, "Yes, but I..."  They allowed themselves to be taught, and by the end of the week they were well on their ways to becoming better teachers.

That's when it really hit home for me this week:  it's all about my attitude.  If I choose to allow the Holy Spirit to lead me, and God's Word to teach me what I need to know, and if I am willing to follow God's instruction, time and time again, I will learn the lessons that God has for me.

The passage in II Timothy 3:14 quoted at the top of this blog was an encouragement and a rebuke to me as well:  "But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them."  It is not enough for me to "learn" a lesson one time, and for that to be sufficient.  I cannot just be "taught" a spiritual truth from God's hand.  I must continue to be teachable, throughout my life, in the good circumstances and the bad, until I arrive in the presence of the Lord.

There are always "teachable" moments in life, where I need to be reminded of the truths of God's Word, and put them into practice.  May God help me to be a moldable, teachable student today...