A poor, yet wise lad is better than an old and foolish king who no longer knows how to receive instruction. Ecclesiastes 4:13 NAS
I love learning. My father and grandfather were, in many ways, self-taught men. Always with a book nearby, always peering into the depths of a knowledge or skill yet unknown to them, but soon to be mastered because of their growing, seeking minds. I think that rubbed off on me. Through high school and college I worked for the city library system. I loved that job–surrounded by books full of knowledge, pictures of places I’d never been to, stories of people who changed the world. I was always going home with an arm full of books spanning all manner of topics and study.
Despite my love of learning, I’ve noticed that at times it’s still mysteriously hard for me to wrap my head around new knowledge because once an idea lodges itself in our brain space it’s as if just because that tidbit is what we know first about a subject, we automatically assume it’s the best, truest, most correct concept.
For example, I grew up on the notion that no-fat or low-fat eating was the healthiest. Now, I’m not dispensing nutritional advice, but I will say I was shocked when I read how many body systems require healthy sources of fat and that depriving our bodies, especially women, can really throw a monkey-wrench in our physical and even mental health. I read one very well articulated article with citations, read the cited studies, did some more looking and after lots more research decided maybe this notion is true! It was hard for me to even consider this concept, let alone that it might be correct, because the information flew in the face of everything I’d previously known.
Our spiritual lives work much the same way. I’ve watched as I tried to pour Scripture into hearts, how some hearts soaked up the truth and others rejected it–because they said they knew a different, better truth. I always pray that God would give me a teachable heart and a mind open to His instruction. I also pray it for the women I serve.
We could be so “wise,” like a king, sitting on top of our world, but be a terribly sad sight because we’ve lost our ability to learn and receive instruction. Our full-headedness can impede our growth in practical wisdom, but also our spiritual wisdom.
Spiritual wisdom says, “Forgiveness is necessary”; natural wisdom says, “Teach people not to treat you that way! Stand up for yourself!” Spiritual wisdom says, “Being submissive is part of God’s design and will be a blessing for you;” natural wisdom says, “No one is over me!” Spiritual wisdom says, “Wait on the Lord to provide the spouse your heart longs for, the career position you want, the recognition you feel you deserve, etc.” yet worldly wisdom says, “Just do it! Don’t wait! You have needs now! Find your own path! Make your own way in the world.” Spiritual wisdom calls us to crucify our flesh, find our worth in Christ, speak soft answers when anger bubbles to the surface of a situation, serve one another, and a host of concepts that feel so foreign to our natural bents.
Usually there’s just enough truth in the worldly wisdom to make it stick in our brain-space as making sense and ringing true–or as I heard it said by a much wiser woman than me, “Satan twists lies until they almost seem true. There’s no real truth in them because he is the father of lies and can’t tell the truth.”
If ever we hold to something that makes sense to us, but reject God’s desire to grow real, deep, wisdom from Him in us…well, I think that would be a terrible loss–like an old king who won’t receive instruction and child who has more wisdom than the king, simply because his heart and mind still have room to grow.
May we be able to receive instruction, able to learn and able to grow!
Do you want to learn and grow in the coming year?
– Ask the Lord to show you the places He might want to teach you, but you aren’t willing to learn.
– Ask God to convict you deeply whenever you reject His wisdom.
– Ask you spouse or someone close to you if there is some aspect of living they think you might need to grow with God in.
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