Learning from Babies [30 Day Photo Blog] [Auntie's God-Breezes]

Lacy Princess Baby Booties

Today was a very productive day.  It was opening day for the return of Auntie's Workshop.  I spent it making an order of these baby booties. It was really a God thing that booties were on the menu today.  These booties and a devotional I read today inspired this God-Breeze:

Hebrews 4:11-14 (KJV) - Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing. 12For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. 13For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. 14But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

 

Am I teachable? Of course I am. I study and read the word and listen to those further along than I. But wait, do I glean knowledge from those who are not as far along as I, or am I "dull of hearing"? When I hear someone teach or share who’s at the beginning of his journey, do I listen with the intent to learn, or do I think about how I could have said it better?

At first, I used to tear others apart in my mind; analyzing grammar, mentally pouncing on every misspeak, thinking of better scripture references they could have used. This attitude didn’t initially come from having a hyper-critical mind, but a musical one. See, I do have some formal music training. We are taught to hear and correct our own errors so much that it bleeds over to others. It used to drive me crazy to hear another worship band’s bass guitarist do a song sub par to the way I would do it. After many turns of this, it would hit me, I’m too busy criticizing to worship. I am missing the very presence of God over something as stupid as someone picking B-flat instead of an F chord. I would ask God’s forgiveness and dive in and start worshiping the King of kings instead of bowing at Music Theory’s wobbly altar.

As I caught myself critiquing others teaching or sharing, I had to ask myself what I was missing. It didn’t matter if the message was "milk" or "meat." I still needed to eat and enjoy it. Why? The meat messages help me continue to grow and the milk messages help me remember the basics to help others and to keep myself spiritually fit. What do I mean? Well, I have a triad of grandnieces (two sisters and their cousin) who I love and adore like my own children. I don’t get to see them as often I would like, but every time I do, there’s something new they’ve learned or a new level they’ve grown to. One just finished first grade, one will go to "big girl" school this fall, and the other is learning to speak in intelligible sentences. When they excitedly share with me something they learned, I don’t blow them off and say, "I am so beyond that." No, I’m just as excited as if I just learned it myself.

The Word of God is the same way. I cannot teach or disciple others if I am unwilling to continue to learn or to be too beyond "elementary" concepts. Yes, we are in a race, but the goal of the race is to finish with a whole passel of people running right with us.