Look Alive

13 December 2010

INSIGHTS :: Teach-ability



It has often been said that those who can, do, and those who can't, teach. The sadness there is not due to the alleged inabilities of those who genuinely choose to help others grow, but in the ignorance and perhaps arrogance that denies the omniscience of the Creative force responsible for the very particles that comprise everything, even this soapbox :). Ephemeral ego bubbles have no choice but to pop in His presence, because to Know it all (as He does) is possibly to teach it ALL! If the heartbeat really does stop for the split-second it takes to sneeze, our fallible humanness, alone, can do nothing 365/24/7.

I wrote in terms of potential energy only to acknowledge free will, because success in giving and receiving any lesson strongly depends upon how that 'freedom' is applied. Although I began walking away from any rockstar dreams in my early twenties for the waking rest of a bit more selective creativity, the new guitar I got and mentioned a few years ago will neither strum itself nor show me how to do so properly without my involvement. For the best results, I have to want to learn and play, whether or not instrumental talent lives in me. From that, I should make room for instruction and practice. The instrument will then respond to my initiative per the nature and/or nurture of its design.

Without even raising a question, much less a hand, seeing the patterns of random birds among sky-high wires during a recent supermarket trip was a living lesson in what could be the perfection of human group dynamics. While visiting with a family friend shortly thereafter, he mentioned a desire to have his hair braided. I obliged to his surprise, somehow the 1986 comedy "Back to School" entered the conversation and he shared a few other picks that the family could watch once we all get together. The simple moment was doubly teachable across time and space in that my hair-handling knowledge was born only of necessity decades earlier when the 'big sister' who taught and tended to me moved out on her own. As for him, a healthy willingness for grooming imparted a convenient option he had no prior awareness of. 

Sometimes before and certainly once we pass the age of reckoning, we believe there is nothing we can be taught; even moreso if we have some of the world's education or feel otherwise entitled or informed. There isn't a person alive who hasn't proudly or stubbornly dismissed a helpful attempt at some point. Selfishness as we gear up to do what we like and even undo what we don't is an almost expected part of the growth process, warranted or not. Trust... I've been guilty of that back there somewhere, but I can surely appreciate the need and power of a teachable spirit as well as the right spirit with which to teach; like a loved child! There are so many different ways that we can learn and share within the body of Christ -- and enjoy it.

Consider the different approaches of sisters Martha and Mary during Jesus' visit. Luke 10:38-42 compares the ministries found within labor for a certain standing and learning at One's feet. Although each had its merit in Jesus' eyes, Mary's submission to the Word touched His heart. When a snowflake falls to remind us of individuality with a unified purpose under God, an echo resounds or light reflects in quantum proving that the Originator's vibrations reached their marks, may we embody the heart of Christ with the humble obedience of Mary to allow the lesson's completion per James 1. By faith, generosity of Spiritual sight and above all, God's grace, countless teachable moments await us with Love and softer knocks if we let them. It is instrumental that we cherish these moments' lessons for Life! 


"That's it! ... I feel like I just gave birth! ... It means I'm not taking nothing from nobody. I'm gonna pass this test! ... Who's next?" - Rodney Dangerfield as Thornton Mellon, displaying the joyous and harmlessly positive power that double negatives (and other examples of logic/math) can yield