Stay in school...the school of life!

 “True humility is staying teachable regardless of how much

you already know.”

  There’s an old Taoist story about a student who comes to a master and asks the master to teach him. The master invites the student to sit with him and have tea. While they are sitting, the master starts to converse with the eager young student. But every time the master starts to explain a point, the student would interrupt him and say, "Oh, I know that, I do this when that happens, or I don't have that problem because…” Soon the master stopped talking and picked up the teapot. He began pouring tea into the student's cup. As the cup filled, he continued pouring until the cup overflowed and spilled out. The student shouted, “Stop! It is enough! My cup is full!” With that, the old master smiled and replied, “Yes, your cup is full, therefore I can teach you nothing until you empty your cup.”

  The moral of the story is clear. The student was unteachable. Instead of listening to the master, he wanted to show how much he already knew. He wasn’t open to learning anything new that he believed he’d already learned. His cup of knowledge was too full and he had to empty that cup before he could learn from the new master. Emptying your cup does not mean you must give up all that you’ve learned or forget all that you know. That’s silly. To empty your cup simply means to adopt a teachable attitude.

  The greatest enemy of a teachable spirit is pride. It’s not surprising in an unregenerate world. Pride is the first sin recorded, costing Satan heaven. Pride causes more to reject Christ and the need for the Cross than any other sin. It’s not surprising to find pride amongst those who don’t know Jesus.

  What’s sadly shocking is to find pride among those who should be the most humble. We’re the ones who join John Newton in his well-known refrain, “Amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me.” Wretches have no basis for pride. I love the encouragement found in Proverbs 9:9: “Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser; teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning.” Scripture teaches that a Christian is to have a very humble, teachable spirit.

  Oftentimes, what we become most arrogant and opinionated about would be laughable if we weren’t so inflexible in our opinions. For example, much of what is adamantly purported as right or wrong when it comes to parenting is merely opinion. Scripture never tells us what educational choice is best, how active or inactive our children should be, what time they should go to bed or get up. About the only things the Bible is clear on is that we’re to teach our children biblical truth and our goal must be godly children, not “good” ones…or successful ones.

  The same could be said of many other things that we’re sadly often so arrogantly adamant about: finances, food choices, career, vacation, time, athletic loyalty, entertainment options, politics…to name just a few.

  But there’s one characteristic that separates the successful from the unsuccessful in every walk of life: teachability. Those who are teachable and are lifelong learners, usually succeed. The unteachable typically fail. You’ll observe this in education, career, business, marriage, parenting, ministry, Christian walk and nearly every other field. Most importantly, a teachable person will listen when God speaks via reading His Word or in a preaching/teaching setting, and then change their direction to obey Him.

  In fact, arrogant believers (that’s a conundrum), hurt churches. It’s God’s grace when He protects a local church family from arrogant Christians who erroneously believe it’s their calling to “fix” a church. They leave a string of battered churches behind and believe all the churches out there “stink.”

  Take a moment and picture the folk that you love to be around because they’re so Christlike. Spending time with them is a continual feast. They leave you feeling so refreshed! Probably each of them is humble and has a gracious, teachable spirit. So what does teachability look like?

  Someone who is teachable listens more than they talk. When they listen, they’re engaged. They’re quiet, contemplating follow-up questions, seeking to really understand. They may even take notes. They read books or learn everything they can to be a better steward and glorify God.

  Someone who is teachable asks questions, lots of them. They’re willing to appear ignorant or risk looking stupid. They accept responsibility for blunders and failures. They don’t make excuses or blame others. They seek and accept guidance or mentoring from mentors, coaches, parents, teachers, pastors, godly leaders, etc.

  Someone who is teachable accepts criticism or correction without resentment or retaliation. They’re not defensive. They see criticism from those they trust as beneficial. They’re willing to move out of their comfort zones. They’re flexible and adapt to embrace change to be more effective.

  Someone who is teachable is aware of their own limitations of their own knowledge and abilities. They openly admit their limitations, inability, and ignorance to others who can teach and help them grow.

  Someone who is teachable regularly seeks out godly counsel. They ask for help, instruction, guidance and advice (before the event, not after disaster strikes). They learn from anyone and everyone they can. Usually, they realize that they can learn something from nearly everyone.

  Someone who is teachable is willing to change. Whether it’s their views or habits when convincing evidence is presented to them. They’ll change even if it means admitting they’re wrong or causes a level of discomfort. 
  The teachable are a magnificent minority! May teachability be true of us!

Can we help you spiritually? Can we help you know Jesus better? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or, call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address.