If there’s one thing that teaching has taught me, it’s to keep learning.
Now I think this statement goes for all of us, because we could all agree that, although we try our best, we still don’t know everything!! As humans we make mistakes, we try and yet produce errors, and sometimes we can even be blind to our own faults. We try our best in all that we do, and yet we fail to do so much more than we’re capable of.
This summer, I want to encourage you-whether you’re a Christian, a parent, a single adult, or someone just starting your journey-keep on learning!
- Learn more about the Lord
“For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.”-Romans 15:4
This is definitely something that I have to work on daily. I cannot ascribe myself to be am expert in this area, but simply a person who is still learning.
I’m learning that the more that I spend time reading my Bible, praying, and seeking the Lord the more that I get to know Him. I get to learn His plan for my life, His hopes for my future, His presence in my pain, and His fingerprint in my purpose.
“I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me.”-Proverbs 8:17
The word “shall,” is delicately woven throughout the Bible to show us God’s promises that will be fulfilled. God promises that if you are seeking Him you will find Him-there’s no question or doubt about it. If you aren’t a Christian, and you want to know more about God (seeking Him), then God will show Himself to you. If you are a Christian, already knowing Jesus Christ as your Savior, and desiring(seeking) a better relationship with the Lord, then you’ll find yourself growing closer to the Lord and you will see His plan unfold in every area of your life.
“O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is;”-Psalm 63:1
It may take time to learn about the Lord, but know that He’s already seeking you and that finding Him is worth it.
“For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.”-Luke 19:10
He already knows all about us, loves us in spite of ourselves, and keeps on pursuing us-desiring to win our hearts and hold us in His loving arms. When we learn this and start to understand who God is-the Creator of the World, the Giver of Salvation, the Lover of our Souls-then it becomes easier to takes the steps to learn about the Lord.
2. Learn more about your Friends and Family
As we grow, we change. The same is true about our families and friends-they’re changing too! And it’s our responsibility, in order to grow closer to them, to simply learn more about them as they change.
Wow, oh wow, how I’m learning all about this one!
God has given me a beautiful family. My mom and my sisters have supported me through every endeavor in life. They’ve given me love and undeserved grace. They’ve shared more memorable moments of tears and laughter with me than I could possibly count, and yet…I still have so much to learn about them!
As my family has matured and grown we now have different standards, different favorite TV shows, and different hobbies. We partake of different daily activities and enjoy different hopes and dreams than we did ten years ago or even last month. People change, families and friends. If I truly want to grow closer to my family and build stronger relationships with my friends, then I simply need to take the time to learn more about them.
And as the Pooh once said, “Being friends is even better than honey.”
In a day and age where our laptops, cell phones, and social media accounts reign over our free time, it’s easy to lose track of the relationships that are around us (simply because we’re so focused on the relationships that are millions of miles away). Take time to learn about the people who are already next to you, who already love you, and who are already learning about you.
3.Learn more about Yourself
Okay…now this last one sounds a bit crazy whenever I read it on someone else’s blog or story, but trust me here because it really isn’t. I’m not talking about, “finding yourself,” or, “being one with your inner you,” you’ll have to go somewhere else for that.
What I’m simply talking about is learning more about who you are as a person. How do you express your creativity? What are some of your personal hobbies and passions? How do you respond to conflict? What thought patterns do you tend to drift towards?
I’ve been learning so much about my personality this summer. I realize that I tend to give so much of myself towards others that I neglect my own personal health/recreational needs. I’ve also learned that I tend to hold myself up to high expectations that no one else has asked of me but I just simply put on myself-this was a reality that hit pretty hard and I actually learned just last week. I’ve also been learning different hobbies that I enjoy-writing, reading, drawing, and (interestingly enough) running and physical fitness.
“You’re the person you spend the most time with, so get to know whose looking back at you in the mirror.”-?
Now, for me, I really enjoy those personality tests that you can find anywhere online. I know they’re not for everyone, but one of my personal favorites is the Enneagram test-it’s given from a Christian perspective and is very detailed and thorough. I found out that I’m a type 2-which is totally accurate! If you look it up, you’ll completely understand.
Now each of these three learning processes have one thing in common: TIME! If you’re truly devoted to learning about something or getting to know someone, it will involve you giving your time. So what are you willing to invest your time in this summer? Who are you willing to share precious moments with? Are you willing to get to know the Lord better, see the people around you in a different light, and even get to know that amazing person whose reading these words?
Take time today and keep on learning. Trust me. It’s worth it.
Teaching Creativity 