Learn- Romans 12:22
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
I like easy things. I like fast things. Put those two ideas together and you’ve got my favorite things. I want to understand, to produce, and for the pieces to fit together now.
I started regularly attending church when I was a junior in high school. I started out at Bible study, then youth group, then those activities plus church on Sunday. I can remember feeling frustrated and quite overwhelmed as I began to realize the amount I didn’t know. I was blazing through the New Testament, staying late after Bible study to talk to my youth leader’s husband for more in-depth understanding of what I was reading. But then a pastor would reference Elijah or Jeremiah or Joshua and the teaching would fly right over my head while I mentally jumped and reached and attempted to grasp the concept attached to the character.
I began to feel bitter that all the other “church kids” knew all the stories and I didn’t.
It’s been well past a decade since those days and I have learned much as I’ve continued walking with the Lord. Surprisingly, what I have learned most is how much I don’t know—how much about God and His Word that I will never fully comprehend. I’ve learned that it isn’t just about having head knowledge. Sure, I could probably pass a quiz on Exodus now, but I can also explain how we each walk our own exodus journey with the Lord out of Egypt through the wilderness to the Promised Land.
It is through time and through testing that we are transformed by what we learn. Don’t give up on the process. How can you take steps to commit to learning more daily? That, like I pray with my kids on the way to school each morning, we would know Him more, know ourselves more, and know how He made us to serve Him here in His kingdom.
“Don’t give up on the process…”. Thanks for the reminder to keep learning DAILY. “That, like I pray with my kids on the way to school each morning, we would know Him more, know ourselves more, and know how He made us to serve Him here in His kingdom.”. And it doesn’t stop when they are out of grade school…. 🙂
I had the exact same experience as a child. I attended Sunday School sporadically, so I always felt sort of clueless. God has used that experience to impact my teaching all these years later, because I try to get everyone “caught up” before starting in on a topic. Both children and adults come into classes realizing that they don’t know the Bible very well, and I don’t want them to stay away because of that (like I did!).
Yes! I have been similarly impacted: never assume people already know the story you’re sharing!