A teachable heart

I was talking to a friend recently, and since I had just celebrated my latest birthday, we were talking a bit about the changes that come with the years. 

One thing I mentioned was that I know a lot less than I did at 24. 

At 24, I thought I knew it all. 

Now at … years old, I realize how little I really do know. 

This is not to say I haven’t grown in knowledge and wisdom over the years.  I have. 

It’s just that I realize how inadequate my knowledge and wisdom was then and is even now. 

My friend said it’s a sign of wisdom that I realize that.  I suppose it is. 

But even at my age, I still have a lot to learn.

It occurs to me as I read this story of Moses and Jethro, that I always kind of thought of Moses as a relatively young man, taking advice from an older one. 

But at this point, Moses was already 80 plus years old.  He was now the leader of a nation and was considered to have the wisdom to deal with all the disputes that were coming to him every day from morning to evening. 

It would’ve been easy for Moses to say to Jethro, “I don’t need your advice.  I hear from God.  I already have the knowledge and wisdom I need.  Buzz off.”

But Moses didn’t do that.  He had the humility to hear the wisdom in Jethro’s words. 

He also had the humility to know that God could use others to do the work he was doing, and the humility to delegate those responsibilities out.

What about us?  How teachable are we? 

I have to admit that I’m not as teachable as I probably should be. 

Although I realize more than I did when I was 24 how little I really know, there’s still a part of me that’s proud and would like to think I know all that I really need to. 

How much wiser would I be now, if I had had a more teachable heart over the years? 

How much more wisdom would I have to pass on to others now if I had been willing to absorb more wisdom from others over the years?

Lord, too many times I have been unteachable.  Too many times I’ve closed my heart to hearing wisdom because I thought I knew it all.  Forgive me. 

Soften my heart so that I may hear the wisdom that you’re trying to get across to me. 

Give me the humility to seek out wisdom from others.  Give me the humility to accept wisdom from others. 

Let me never think I know it all.  Instead, give me a heart that constantly seeks to grow in your wisdom and knowledge.  In Jesus’ name, amen.