Are YOU a lifelong learner?

“Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young.”  Henry Ford

  An efficiency expert concluded his lecture with a note of caution to his audience. “You don't want to try these techniques at home.” “Why not?” someone asked him. “I watched my wife’s routine at breakfast for years,” the expert explained. “She made lots of trips between the refrigerator, stove, table, and cabinets, often carrying a single item at a time. One day I told her, ‘Hon’, why don’t you try carrying several things at once?’” “Did it save time?” the guy in the audience asked. “Actually, yes,” replied the expert. “It used to take her twenty minutes to make breakfast. Now I do it in seven.”

  There’s some danger in being an expert. We have become a culture of “experts.” Have you noticed, that when someone is being interviewed in the media, they rarely pause or say, “I don’t know,” or ask a question? Wisdom doesn’t come naturally with age. None of us can know everything.

  For some aged saints, gray hair and a good head go hand in hand. Yet, for far too many, length of life merely entrenches stubbornness, irritability and a lack of willingness to have an opinion challenged. One can be an old fool as easily as a young one.

  May God deliver us from ever believing we’ve arrived. For the believer, the stakes are very high for cultivating a holy curiosity and having the mindset of a lifelong learner. Teaching, learning and application of truth are at the very heart of our faith. To be a “disciple” means to be a “learner.” Jesus is the Master Teacher. God designed the local church to be a community of lifelong learners under the guidance of leaders who are committed teachers.

  Christianity is not some limited course of study for the front-end of adulthood. Our mindset isn’t to first do our learning and then spend the rest of our lives drawing from that original deposit of knowledge. Being a healthy Christian is inextricably linked to ongoing learning.

  Schools are back in session. Summer is over and for families, weekday mornings are now a flustered rush to get to the big yellow bus in time, lunch in one hand, homework in the other. Students are off to learn their reading, writing, and ‘rithmetic. At Grace, we utilize the school year to focus on small groups and classes for the learning of eternal truth. It’s an opportunity as a church family to stretch and encourage each other to strive to grow in biblical truth and Christlikeness. God’s will is for each of us to be teachable and lifelong learners, who apply truth in real life.

  A teachable person listens when God speaks and then adjusts their direction accordingly. Probably the most difficult part of being teachable is first admitting that we were wrong. So how teachable are you? If you’re not sure how you rate on the teachability meter, take this five-point quiz:

  1. You know you’re teachable when people give you input. When others feel free to share with you a word of improvement, it’s a good sign that you’re teachable. Most of us hate confrontation and no one wants to risk cleaning up a meltdown if the person can’t receive a difficult word. As in, “Don’t try to tell him he’s not headed in the right direction because he’ll bite your head off.” A fool is always deeply persuaded that what he is doing is right, yet a teachable person willingly receives input.

  2. You know you’re teachable when you see measurable growth and character development in yourself. If you’re growing more Christlike, changing for the better, you’re teachable. If you’re not the same person you were last year at this time, godly instruction has produced results in your life and you have grown because of it.

  3. You know you’re teachable when you don’t have to answer a critic with a defense. It’s so refreshing to sit down with a person who can hear difficult words with an open heart and without defensiveness. Those who are receptive to godly criticism, flourish and grow.

  4. You know you’re teachable when you don’t have to criticize back. The classic symptom of an unteachable person is that they’ll listen to what you say, all the while framing their comeback, “Now let me tell you something…” Are you able to keep your defenses down and your pride in check? Then, you’re probably a teachable person.

  5. You know you’re teachable when you’re learning new ways to grow. If people have been telling you the same things for years, you’re not teachable. If you’ve grown out of those old issues and are on to new lessons, you’re on the right track. Even if you recognize that you’ve been foolish, you don’t have to stay that way. The answer to foolishness is wisdom. It’s available in God’s book, through His Spirit, and often communicated through His people. It’s applicable. It has to do with your life right now. It will help you make decisions, stay the course, and grow in your faith. And it’s very fulfilling! Correcting your course with God’s help is not some awful thing. Proverbs 8:11 tells us, “Wisdom is better than jewels, and all that you may desire cannot compare with her.” 

  Warren Myers was an early missionary with the Navigators. Before his Homegoing at 78, he spent his life studying the Bible. He wasn’t perfect, so when he knew that he’d sinned, he was quick to own it and to ask for forgiveness from the Lord and from anyone else he’d wronged. Even just a few months before his death, while at lunch with a friend, he asked (it was his habit to ask countless questions) what Jesus had recently been teaching his friend. As his young friend began to share, Warren was taking notes for his own personal growth. Here he was at 78, still growing, still learning.

  That’s what God wants for each of us. May we all be like that! Learning to be more and more like Jesus until we finally meet Him face to face. 

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. "