A Lifelong Learner

I am a lifelong learner.  Maybe that's pretentious of me to say as I'm not quite 40 years old yet.  Maybe I need to rephrase it and say that I plan to be a lifelong learner.  I hope to be a lifelong learner.  I pray that I might be a lifelong learner.

The more I learn, the more I realize that I have yet to learn.  The more I learn, the more I realize how much I don't know.  I'm not so sure I embrace Solomon's words in Ecclesiastes 1:18, "For with much wisdom comes much sorrow; the more knowledge, the more grief."  Although, I do understand the sentiment.

As one who loves to learn new things, I need to constantly ask myself, "Why do I want to learn new things?"  It's an honest question that demands honest answers.  It's easy to seek knowledge and wisdom to lord it over people.  It's easy to seek knowledge and wisdom because it makes you look smarter.  It's hard to seek knowledge and wisdom to seek to better yourself and others around you, with no significant benefit or advancement.

Ironically, I have never been very fond of academic types.  I have run into too many professors over my three degrees who seem to have lost their passion for teaching minds thirsty for knowledge, that is, if they ever had that passion to begin with.  At the same time, I have had some incredible professors who were gifts from God.  Had I not crossed paths with them, I wonder whether or not I would have made it through some of the seasons that I went through.

Part of learning is teaching, at least it's always been that way for me.  Having just posted my 200th blog, so much of what happens here is a sharing of the things that I have learned in life.  That's probably one of the great reasons for me to continue as it provides an opportunity for me to share with others who might find something beneficial in what I say.

I certainly don't claim expertise on the things that I write on.  Writing is hard as there are no voice inflections nor any body language with which to interpret the words that are "heard."  It's too easy to have something misconstrued or misunderstood, but that's a risk that I am willing to take.  I've been taken the wrong way more than once and I am sure I will continue to be misunderstood, but my heart's desire is to learn and help others do the same.

The moment that we stop learning, we have either given up, we've decided to take a break for a season, or we have simply said that we have learned all that we need to, we know enough.  Every situation and experience is an opportunity to learn, to better one's self.  It provides for a way for God to teach us a new lesson, a new thing, to grant us wisdom that we may have been praying for.

My prayer for myself and all who read this is that we may approach every day as another opportunity to learn new things.  The beauty of grace is that we have new chances to get things right, and every day provides us with such.  May we all seek that grace but not uselessly expend it but take advantage of it that we might be different tomorrow than we are today.

Here's to learning!