“Get wisdom, get insight.” Proverbs 4:5
Proverbs 4:5 begins with two very simple commands: get wisdom, get insight. There are two remarkable assumptions in these four little words.
The first, King Solomon is presupposing that our wisdom and insight (or understanding) levels have not yet reached full capacity. This might be a difficult truth for some of us! We must admit that there is something we don’t know and even more importantly, we must acknowledge that there is more that can be learned. The good news is that this is step one in our pursuit of having a teachable spirit!
The second presupposition is that we have to pursue wisdom and insight outside of ourselves! What I mean is that we need to be willing (and vulnerable) enough to receive from others what we do not yet know ourselves. This receiving comes in many forms; sometimes it’s wanted and sometimes it’s not! Sometimes it’s from someone close to us, like a mentor or family member, and sometimes it’s from someone we may not be close to. Is it a surprise that the most successful people in life are those who are the most teachable or coachable?
So let me ask…how teachable are you?
“Our acute need is to cultivate a willingness to learn and to remain teachable.” Charles Swindoll
CALL TO ACTION
The biggest interference to being teachable or coachable is sin. Let’s just say it for what it is. Think about it…what prevents us from pursuing or receiving the knowledge, understanding, or wisdom (sometimes this is in the form of correction!) that we don’t have? Pride, right?
What can we start doing today in our own lives to help ourselves and our children have a teachable spirit?
- BE HUMBLE – Humility comes in acknowledging that you don’t know it all. Surround yourself with people who can be honest with you when you ask for feedback. Receive that feedback (even when unfavorable) with an attitude of gratefulness and humbleness. Only what you know can help you grow! Take the feedback and act on it.
- BE A LIFETIME LEARNER – have the desire to continue learning. Don’t be complacent with what you already know. Stay away from stagnation and keep on growing as a person! Develop your interests and hobbies! Read a leadership book and start implementing the lessons at the office. Take the time to improve your marriage by learning what your spouse’s love language is. The little lessons you learn while pursuing wisdom and understanding will transform your relationships in a big way!
- BE A LISTENER – sometimes we just need to stop talking and instead ask questions and listen! This is probably one of the biggest ways that we can model a teachable spirit for our children. Listen and process the feedback before responding. With our children, it’s important to teach them to be attentive to our words, to listen, so that they can also learn to process and respond appropriately to the feedback they are receiving.
“A teachable spirit is being willing to be a student in any areas you lack, to seek out knowledge and truth, in order to grow in humility, wisdom and excellence.”
(hollynoel.wordpress.com)
Tracy LaBreche
