Children are boarding school buses—if bus companies can find enough drivers this year—and college students are waving goodbye to home. Most of us consider education profitable and could name areas we’d like to learn more about. We tend to want the easy way out, however: we want to know stuff, but we’d rather not take the time to learn. Learning can be tiresome and painful. To justify an aversion to learning, some people choose to see themselves as natural experts not needing education. You probably know and avoid people like this.
The truth is that we’re not natural experts and learning doesn’t happen by osmosis. True, different types of knowledge come more easily to different people. For example, math comes easily to some and is a complete mystery to others. Science is a snoozer to one but exciting to another. One man can back a semitrailer up to any dock anywhere, and his neighbor has a difficult time backing his car out of the garage. But true experts have also taken time to learn.
Learning generally results from studying the topic and practicing application. That’s how we grow in the Christian life, as well. None of us is an expert in the Christian life, and we never will be; but we can learn and grow and become better at it by studying the Word of God and applying it to our lives. Just as unexpected academic homework is assigned, so unexpected life experiences sometimes happen; but it all teaches: “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing”(James 1:2-4).
Back to School season is an opportunity for a fresh start. It’s a great time to make a renewed effort to study the Word of God regularly. Check out the Basics for Bible Study page on this blog or ask your pastor for ideas for study. You may feel that the class you’re paying for which is training you for a career is your only important learning endeavor; but studying how to honor God with that career, how to reach and respond to others at work and in your neighborhood, how to glorify God in your daily living—these are all vitally important, more important than the paycheck you look forward to collecting someday.
“Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth”(2 Timothy 2:15). “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ”(2 Peter 3:18).