Teachability

Teachability Knowledge is a powerful thing. That’s why we like to be in the know, to have inside information and not to be left out of the loop. The irony is that we can become skilled in information acquisition and become no wiser for it. Information doesn’t necessarily transform or shape us. Learning something new doesn’t mean we are teachable. We can always use information to simply reinforce our own opinions and biases. Jesus constantly looked for teachable people—people who would look beyond appearances and not make snap judgments. He warmed to those who asked honest questions. And he was grieved and dumbfounded by the educated who were hardhearted, unteachable and dense. He said to them, “You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life” (John 5:39). Jesus was passionate about those with ears to hear. He was attracted to those who willingly admitted how much they didn’t know. People who could lay aside their prejudices and entertain something new were often the recipients of Jesus transforming word. Jesus is still looking for teachable disciples. How teachable are we? Do we hide behind our knowledge and feel uncomfortable being the learner? Will we be the student again and again and again? Reflection Questions What new things have you learned about God and yourself in the last month? What positions have you rethought and changed your mind about in the last few years? What does this say about you and your journey? Who do you know that exemplifies a person with a teachable heart? How do you respond when you hear an opinion you don’t agree with? Spiritual Exercises Study some of the paradoxes of Scripture. Or study some of the hard sayings of Jesus. For instance: “He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters.” (Matthew 12:30) “For whoever is not against us is for us.” (Mark 9:40) How do you live with the paradoxes of faith? • What do you do when you can’t fully explain something? Are you comfortable with mystery? Are you comfortable saying, “I don’t know”? When have you learned something from someone who wasn’t an authority or an expert? What did you learn? • What was it like for you? • Write your “teacher” and express your appreciation. Become aware of your compulsions to let others know what you think. Notice when you’re composing what you will say next rather than listening to the one who is speaking. • When do you feel the urge to pontificate or otherwise hold forth? • Ask God to give you a teachable heart and a will to listen. • What do you learn about yourself ? about others? about what God values? Choose a spiritual discipline that addresses a desire for growth. What would it look like to become teachable in this discipline? Who might help you? • Keep a log of the new things you are learning and experiencing with God. Who do you want to be ten, twenty, thirty years from now? What will you have to learn to become that person? • Are you teachable in these areas now? Ask some of the people who know you best how you come across. Are you open and teachable? Do you tend to instruct people or set them right? How do people feel about disagreeing with you? Resources on Teachability To Know and Be Known, or The Courage to Teach by Parker Palmer “Spaciousness is always a beginning, a possibility, a potential, a capacity for birth.” —Gerald May Unplugging DESIRE to be fully present to and uninterrupted in my interactions with God and others DEFINITION Unplugging calls us to leave the virtual world of technology (computers, e-mail, Blackberries, cell phones, PDAs, iPods, etc.) in order become present to God and others SCRIPTURE “What does a man get for all the toil and anxious striving with which he labors under the sun? All his days his work is pain and grief; even at night his mind does not rest.” (Ecclesiastes 2:22-23) “Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” (Ephesians 5:1-2) “When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the LORD your God for the good land he has given you. Be careful that you do not forget the LORD your God.” (Deuteronomy 8:10-11) PRACTICE INCLUDES unplugging electronic devices that interrupt relationships refraining from the use of e-mail abstaining from video recreation devoting time and attention to others without interruption communicating face to face rather than virtually refusing to put sensitive human interaction into electronic form not checking e-mail on the weekend have a no–e-mail workday GOD-GIVEN FRUIT settling into uninterrupted quiet with Jesus creating space for face-to-face encounters with people freedom from the compulsive and demanding nature of technological communication and its toll on the soul freedom from addictions—accidental or otherwise—to cell phones, the Internet, video games and so forth giving the gift of presence

Teachability

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