Are you teachable?

Good morning! I hope you are off to a running start this morning, facing your week with enthusiasm and energy.

I remember the final days of my Senior year in high school. I was so excited that my years of formal learning were finally going to come to an end. I had been burdened for so long with homework, exams and courses that seemed to have little meaning for the rest of my life. Little did I realize that the greatest learning times of my life were still to come.

I find myself today, nearly 20 years later, aware of the fact that I must never stop learning or I risk becoming stagnant and irrelevant. Now, I would be lying if I said I enjoy school…in fact to this day, there are fewer places I would rather stay away from, however; the reward of instruction far outweighs the burden.

Look at the following verse from Proverbs:

Proverbs 13:14 (NLT)
The advice of the wise is like a life-giving fountain; those who accept it avoid the snares of death.

The real issue here is whether or not you have a teachable spirit. Many of us reach a place in our personal lives, our faith, our careers, etc… where we think we have nothing left to learn. We want to be the ones with all of the answers, but we never open ourselves up to be stretched. By our own arrogance we bring our lifelong process of maturity to a grinding halt, never allowing anyone else to impart greater knowledge or wisdom into our lives.

One of the things I have valued over the last 5 years is the relationship I have developed with my mentor. Each month this man has permission to stretch me, challenge me and even correct me. What a blessing this has been. I have grown so much more, because I have allowed myself to remain teachable. I fully realize that there are others out there who by their experience and training have much greater knowledge and insight than I do.

Today, I want to challenge you to always be striving to go higher. Don’t allow yourself to settle for a permanent plateau, but instead open yourself up to be pushed. You are never to old to stop learning…in fact the day you stop learning should be the day you draw your very last breath.

Until next Monday, may God’s richest blessings be yours this week.

Carl