Humbled Learner’s

   “Humility” isn’t always a word that we associate with learning, but it should be. In order to learn, we have to admit that there is something we don’t know. We need to entrust ourselves to an authority, whether it’s a professor, a book, or a mentor, and be willing to accept what they say. When we learn, we let go of  the tempting notion that we’re always right in favor of recognizing that there are others who know more then we do and can help us.

The same is true of discipleship. We submit ourselves to Jesus and His Word as the true authority of our lives, trusting that he will guide and direct us. When Samuel heard God calling his name, he responded, “ Speak for your servant is listening.” (1 Sam 3:10) Like a student poised to take notes when the professor starts a lecture, we also need to be ready to listen to Jesus and take a posture of humility. If we don’t walk with humilityon the road to becoming more like Jesus, we won’t get anywhere at all.

Learning can often lead us in directions that we didn’t expect. Not every question has a cut and dried answer. Sometimes we may learn something that might contradict what we previously believed to be true. That doesn’t mean we blindly accept whatever comes along, we still need to weigh new information against what we already know to be true.

True learners are also those who take his or her new knowledge and put it to good use, they translate it into action. Even if we don’t immediately use the information, all the truth we learn helps us see the world more accurately. We don’t learn to collect facts but rather we learn to help us lead better lives.

It’s important that the knowledge we are armed with becomes of weapon of change in our own lives. It is what discipleship is all about. Once we humble ourselves to hear Jesus, opening our minds to whatever He might say, we have to then act on what He tell us. Without action we are no disciples at all. Jesus is the Great Teacher, and He uses our lives to draw us closer to His truth and to make us more like Him.  Let us give Him our fullest attention. Let us humble ourselves and learn from Him.

Eric