One of my favorite images of a teachable spirit is from the Prophet Jeremiah. He invites us to imagine that God is the masterful potter, working his artistic creation into being. The clay that God is molding is you and me, of course. Just as a lump of clay is just that, in the hands of a skilled craftsman, that lump can become a piece of beauty and an instrument of great use.

Yet I’ve also realized that there are those who don’t want to change. God doesn’t force us to learn, God awaits for us to be willing to learn. Most often, we become ready to learn when we are faced with suffering, tragedy, or misery. It is in those spaces that we become aware that what we have been doing and experiencing is not what we want to continue!

Yet wisdom calls to us from beyond that place of suffering and pain. Wisdom invites us to continue the pursuit of growing, of learning and becoming. Proverbs 9:9 states, Teach the wise, and they will become wiser; inform the righteous, and their learning will increase. Those with the intention of learning, learn. Those intent in remaining in the status quo, remain. Sadly, the status quo seldom leads us to abundant living. Most often, it keeps us inoculated to the thrilling way of God that always grants us a fullness of spirit!