7 Reasons to Embrace Being a Life-Long Learner

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If I really get down to it, do I cringe at the thought being a student of something I feel I already mastered? I learn best when I am humble, when I see where I fail and know the work that went into what I’ve learned, and when I choose to embrace that I will always have more to learn—yet choosing humility is dealing a lethal blow to my pride, and that is no easy work. It may sound alluring in theory to be a life-long learner, but unless I grasp the value of this mindset, I won’t keep pressing into learning when the road is rough.

I’ve been learning Skyfall on the piano for months, but yesterday I paused mid-song, went back to the beginning, and drummed out reverberating chords without the accompanying melody. It sounded simple, elementary. Since most the fast notes are in the right hand, it felt slow, and in certain measures monotonous. I know that to really get my timing right throughout the whole song, however, I need a solid foundation—and that includes not only an unwavering rhythm but my willingness to not walk away from the process of learning.

It is not easy to go backwards and be a beginner again at something we have already put in the effort to learn—yet the going forward sometimes needs the going back and re-doing, the over-and-over practice, even when it appears like we are going in circles.

We feel like it’s a choice between forward momentum and repetition, but could it be both?

Could the circles themselves take us somewhere, spiraling higher and higher as we mount each new circle?

I see this—ground gained through the repetition as I go over and over a single difficult measure, pounding out a quick succession of chord changes until I have curbed my hesitation and can hit the correct notes with better accuracy. And I realize that missional living in my neighborhood can look very similar to playing piano. Learning to love well takes intentionality and practice. Being vulnerable and authentic is not a one-time lesson either, but one that I must personally revisit many times over. Learning to live a life worth imitating is inviting a flux of teachable-moments, and likewise being willing to be molded by His hands that are both loving and relentlessly jealous of anything in my life I place before Him.

I own that I am a novice with much to learn—both with piano and this life I endeavor to live on mission in my neighborhood. I know well that I imperfectly represent the One I love—that I do not imitate Him when the choices I make are selfish, or hasty, or triggered by fear. I’ve chosen comfortable over vulnerable, busy over present, silence over asking for help. As a parent, I struggle to “respond, not react,” as Sarah Eggerichs often prayed (Love and Respect in the Family, 8). Though I know the work He is doing in me is not meant for me alone, but to help others help others help others love Him and love people better, the gritty reality is that there is always work He is doing in me.

Where are you feeling stuck today?

If our lives feel like repetitive circles that are getting us nowhere, how do we instead create a pattern of forward-momentum circles?

The key I believe is in our attitude.

Choosing the attitude of a life-long learner is a powerful tool to help us break out of the rut and so we can keep progressing toward our goals. Here are my top 7 reasons to embrace being a life-long learner:

Humility opens doors pride can never.
Honesty with ourselves and God begets honesty with other people.
It takes grit to learn the lessons that bear the most fruit.
Authenticity is magnetic.
Apologies heal.
I don’t know what I don’t know, or what it is costing me.
If I am not moving forward, I am moving backwards.

What challenge stands in the way of you adopting the attitude—the heart posture—of truly seeing learning as a never-ending journey? I encourage you to press deeper into this question and bring what surfaces before God. He is a sincere listener, a compassionate friend, an ever-present Father, and the very best guide for learning to live in ways that are a reflection of His work in us.

May we pause here for a moment and invite Him near?

Jesus, You hold the name that is above all other names. You are good and true and righteous and holy, and yet You know us by name and call us beloved. In Your greatness, You chose humility. You modeled for us a life fully surrendered to the Father. Would You awaken a desire in us to welcome You close enough to transform our lives? May we embrace the attitude of life-long learners so we never put a halt to the touch of Your hands as we sit on the potter’s wheel.

Eggerichs, Dr. Emerson. Love and Respect in the Family: The Respect Parents Desire, The Love Children Need. Thomas Nelson, 2013.

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