Hey Friend!
It’s still early in the New Year and I hope you’re doing well.
If we want to live abundantly here on earth, we should have a teachable spirit. Teachable spirits keep us young. The older I get the more I realize those people who are teachable thrive as they age. Those who aren’t teachable seem to shrivel up and die.
I see three qualities of a teachable spirit. The ability to ask for help, to help others and to learn always.
My kids ask for help a lot because there are so many things they cannot do themselves and I give it to them. God knows we need help and wants to help us, but we need to ask. If I, a created creature, wants to help my children, how much more does the creator of the universe want to help you? He wants to help, not out of a position of power, but out of love and to further his relationship with us.
To ask for help when needed involves humility. Pride gets in the way of asking for help. Jesus tells us in Mark 10:15 and Luke 18:17 to have faith like a child. What does that look like? Childlike faith is one of dependence, ask for help and knowing you cannot do it on your own.
On the other hand, helping someone out gives you an opportunity to get to know them better. It isn’t about power and who knows more, but about relationship and getting to know someone better. This is true both for our relationship with God, as we know God better when we allow him to help us and our relationship with others as we accept help and help others.
Accepting and giving help are lifelong pursuits as well as learning new things. We have many teachers in this world, everyone from friends, co-workers, bosses, neighbors, parents and even your children. Yes, your children teach you how to parent them. Keep your spirit open to learning new things. Always look to improve yourself or fix what’s broken. If something doesn’t work, find a solution that will.
To Sum Up: Ask for help, which requires humility, help others to improve relationships and you’re never too old to learn.
Questions to ponder: How often do we ask God for help? How often do we ask others for help?