02/01/2010 - Ah...correction...such a lovely word...

"To know wisdom and instruction, to perceive the words of understanding. To receive the instruction of wisdom, Justice, judgement, and equity."
-Proverbs 1:2-3

Ah learning, correction, & wisdom. I know, as a teenager, that is one of your most favorite things, yes?

Don't look at me that way. It is natural and "fleshy" to not want to learn when someone older than you is having a teaching moment with you. It's easy to pout, and think you've got life all figured out and you don't need any help. I know adults would like you to think that that's only a "teenager thing", but truth be told, adults don't always like to be told when their missing it either. It's human to not want to change or be told your faults. But that's the key: it's HUMAN. Don't you want to be more like Jesus every day? Isn't the supernatural fascinating? That's because you've been called to be more than you are naturally. God wants you to succeed, and do supernatural things so you can be a light for His Kingdom. But, in order to grow, you have to listen when wisdom is crying out in your life. And that means, being told how to do things by people older and wiser than you.

Learning to be teachable is often a painful journey. You get told things you sometimes don't want to hear, but you need to hear them nonetheless. I like to compare it to pouring alcohol into a cut. Man, does it sting when you first pour it on there! But, in the long run, it kills the bad stuff and cleans that cut out so it can heal alot more quickly and that part of your body can be effective again. However, if you just left the cut alone and didn't put anything on it, it would get infected, oozy, and if not treated, you could have to have surgery to remove that part of your body! UGH! Ok, that was a gross analogy, but I like to help you picture things. Now compare that gross analogy to being teachable. Say you've got an attitude toward certain people, or about certain topics. People that love you would confront you about it and tell you that your attitude needs to change and why it needs to change. However, if no one ever confronted you or corrected your attitude, or they did, and you didn't listen, and you went on through life with a crappy attitude towards people, then the day would come when your boss, or your friends, or even your spouse would get tired of this attitude and you could end up losing your job, your friends, or your spouse over it. All because you wouldn't let someone teach you when you were younger and thought you knew everything. It sounds quite dramatic, but it happens every day.

The bottom line is this: be open to being taught. You don't hafta have your whole life perfect and in order, but if you keep your heart teachable, and take on the attitude that you're going to listen to instruction, God can use you to do unlimited things.

***Jess