There is nothing quite so satisfying as personal discovery… at least that’s my thinking. And, I might add, these discoveries are locked into our memories more intimately. They defining who we are, sometimes with more detail than any other mode of learning. It doesn’t always need to be something ‘brand new’, it can be a deepening understanding of (fill in the blank). We do discover from others’ experiences but when it is ours, the impact (both negative and positive) does become a part of us.
I do admit to being a student-based life long learning advocate. For me, learning is incredibly enriching. I really am one who looks to learn. A day without learning is … unsatisfying. Again, remember my context – it doesn’t necessarily mean a new learning, it can be a fuller understanding, a new way of looking at (fill in the blank). Indulgent? Perhaps. But I prefer to think of it as a lovely mindset. This is especially true when I’m learning more about what the Lord is teaching. And that, without doubt, is one of His roles in our lives – what He chooses to do.
A very simple explanation… when we were in the lower grades we learned that 2+2=4. But that wasn’t the end of our math learnings. By the middle grades we had ‘mastered’ fractions, equations, word problems, etc. But even that wasn’t the end. By the time we graduated high school we had probably learned algebra, trigonometry, and beyond. My point is that even in this we constantly built on what we learned. And, if we discover that a part of the learning wasn’t mastered, we backed up until there was understanding and added that to the math foundation in order to advance and continue learning. This is also true, regardless of the ‘subject’.
When was the last time you took stock of what you believed the Lord was teaching you? Do remember that He is always with us and always teaching, it depends on if we listen and act on our understanding. Yes, you do have to do all three – listen, learn and act. Acting is a method to know. Without action how do we know what we’ve learned? And how will we incorporate this into who we are becoming? Applying is our ‘test’ to check on our new understanding and to discover what we don’t know. It also proves to be a stepping stone to the next discovery.
Personal discovery can become our stepping stone to advance in understanding and appreciation of the Lord, what He’s teaching, who we’re becoming and why, and using this as a launch pad to continue this adventure. We are on a journey to Be and Do. And we do learn in a variety of ways and from a variety of sources … which is greatly enhanced when we take the time for our own Personal Discovery.
