Never Stop Learning

I was blessed with a love of academia. I did not love studying or taking tests, but I did (and still do) enjoy learning about history, about science, about new and exciting places and about masterfully written literature.

Even though I've been out of school for 10 years now, I still enjoy learning. I've been tempted to cancel my expanded cable service but haven't because I don't want to miss out on the History Channel or The Learning Channel or Discovery Channel. (Okay, and ESPN!) As I mentioned in an earlier post, I really enjoy reading as well, particularly non-fiction.

The call to not be mere believers in Christ but disciples as well has always appealed to me, because discipleship denotes learning. For a long time, I always thought of discipleship as learning through Bible study, through sermons heard or articles read. But I'm discovering that God has other ways of discipling me as well.

Many times, it's easy for me to take a seemingly mundane situation and see God in the middle of it. He's often using those situations to try to teach me. When I find myself waiting in a long line at the grocery store, He may be using that as an opportunity to learn patience. (Sigh.)

When I catch myself smarting off to someone or being short with someone in the middle of a stressful day, He may be teaching me the importance of being slow to speak and slow to anger.

When the "Service Engine" light appears on the dashboard of my aging car, He may be using that to teach me to look to Him to provide for me.

I'm not discounting the importance of studying your Bible or attending Sunday school or church or engaging in other activities designed to encourage your spiritual growth. But I think that it's also important to have our eyes open to what's going on throughout the week to see where God is trying to teach us. I believe that discipleship is not a weekly, Sunday or Wednesday night only event, but that it's a daily, ongoing process.

Reflect on your day and ask God to show you what He wants you to learn today.