LIFELONG LEARNING FOR IMPACT (3)

“Though He was a Son, yet HE LEARNED OBEDIENCE by the things which He suffered” – Hebrews 5:8

Our Lord Jesus Christ is the Perfect and Eternal Model of LIFELONG LEARNING for IMPACT: “Though He was a Son, yet HE LEARNED OBEDIENCE by the things which He suffered” (Heb.5:8). Our Lord Himself set the Example for Learning as a lifelong mission. In Luke 2:46, at the age of twelve, He sat among teachers in the temple, “listening to them and asking them questions.” Later, at the height of His ministry, He told a group of His disciples, “Learn this parable from the fig tree” (Mt.24:32). Then, in the final excruciating hours of His life on earth, “He learned obedience by the things which He suffered” (v.8).

Knowing that our Lord and Saviour was a Lifelong Learner, an adventurous and devoted Learner gives a certain dignity and excitement to our lives as His disciples. In reality, learning means living. From a developmental perspective, in the early years of life, our bodies grow rapidly, then slow down a bit until it peaks around age twenty, followed by a decline. Our minds, too, develop rapidly at youth; then it becomes harder, reach our mental learning peak a little later than the physical growth peak. The mind grows rigid and inflexible, and it becomes increasingly difficult to learn. For spiritual persons however, such steady deterioration should not be the norm. We can acquire new skills and adopt new attitudes, even at an advanced biological age.

Learning – the very actions of acquiring new skills, cultivating new attitudes, developing new relationships, discovering, daring, exploring, reforming, renewing – is what makes life the adventure Jesus promised in John 10:10. He came to give a rich and satisfying life. Whoever is not learning, is not living. Discipleship is Learning; and we are called to be disciples: “go and make disciples of all nations” (Mt.28:19). We are commissioned to go and make and multiply “learners”! How then do we learn?

Three key Attitudes to Learning are: Openness; enthusiasm; and application. Children constantly learn because they are open; everything is new to them, whereas many adults have lost this childlike sense of curiosity and wonder. The apostle Paul was open to learning even as an adult: “I have learned to be content with whatever I have...” (Phi.4: 11-12). In other words, “I have learned the secret of living in every situation.” We can learn from anyone, at any time, and in any place. We can’t sit back and learn. We learn by feeling, seeing, listening, and thinking. Learning entails enthusiasm, active participation, and acute alertness. Thirteen men walked by a fig tree, but only Christ was really alert, aware, and learning in every way (Mt.24:32).

Obedient Application is the third foundation for learning. As we overcome the obstacles of pride, cowardice, and the trap of success, we can choose to concentrate on one new project each year, and enjoy maximized learning and living!