Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
– Matthew 11:29 NKJV
Decades ago, when my husband and I were new Christians, a series of small and incidental “signs” convinced us a windfall was coming our way.
We shared this belief with a few people, who were instantly skeptical. But we were undeterred, sure God had spoken to us.
When the bounty never arrived, we were a little embarrassed and a lot confused. How could we ever possibly learn to know the difference between God’s voice and other voices in our lives? That first lesson was a painful one as we realized how naïve we were. Thankfully, we discovered it does get easier to recognize what is from God and what isn’t.
We’re still learning because we’re just human.
One of the most beautiful features of the face of faith is the desire to learn the ways of God. It is the willingness to admit our failures and remember their lessons that marks the mature man and woman of God.
Growing in faith is a process that never ends on this side of heaven.
It requires us to balance hope with common sense; to humble ourselves enough to learn from others and admit our mistakes.
Our greatest source of wisdom is God’s Word. It is the inspired text from which we sit at the feet of God. Other important resources are trusted friends, pastors and teachers, parents, siblings, church and parachurch activities, Godly music, and books.
Maturity involves honest introspection and the willingness to learn from our mistakes (and successes). The Spirit of God is our greatest teacher and the One who will never lead us down the wrong path. But sometimes it’s hard to discern His voice above the noise in our head and around us. The Bible encourages us to keep listening and trying because we are trained by practice.
Getting up and falling.
And getting up again.
God understands our weaknesses. He wants us to hear Him. He is a patient teacher.
But solid food is for the mature,
who because of practice have their senses trained
to discern good and evil.
-Hebrews 5:14
Leave a Reply