Ph.D. Devotional

Each week, one member of my Ph.D. cohort shares a devotional with the group as an encouragement on our journey. It was my turn this week.

Lifelong Learning

The ladies in our Life Group have committed to reading through the Bible in 2010. We are now in Nehemiah. One of the things that has struck me repeatedly through the Old Testament is how quickly people forget history.

In Exodus, there is a new Pharaoh who did not know of Joseph. Once the Israelites get into the wilderness, it doesn’t take long for them to forget how bad conditions were for them back in Egypt. Throughout the history of Israel, both commoners and kings repeatedly forget God’s rules, his character, and the miraculous works he has performed in their midst. It boggles my mind each time I read of a new king who did not learn from his predecessors and forgot God’s law. And these are supposed to be God’s chosen people!

As Ph.D. students, we have been challenged to be lifelong learners. I have generally viewed that challenge as applying to knowledge: of theology, of leadership, of ministry, of how to navigate Ecampus and WebX. But as I read through the Old Testament, I have been challenged to pursue the learning that leads to wisdom—that is, learning that changes the heart and doesn’t just fill the head.

That kind of learning is more painful. We struggle in relationship with life, with others, with Jesus Christ. We are bruised and humbled, and hopefully learn from these struggles and experiences and observations to become smarter – no, wiser – as a result. It is much harder to wrestle with God than with Kate Turabian.

Sometimes we must learn from others’ experiences instead of our own hard knocks. Do we pay attention to those who have gone before, or do we think that surely we are smarter than they, and that the laws of the universe do not apply to us? Beware of such pride; if we study history, we know that it goes before a fall.

Two weeks ago, I reconnected with seven dear friends for a birthday celebration in Chicago. It was a sweet time of laughter and late nights. It was also a time for me to reflect deeply on my life, and how these women, and my other relationships and life experiences, have shaped me as a person and as a leader. I have learned much as I have watched them and traveled with them, and this learning has made me a more compassionate leader and a more effective minister. Most importantly, it has made me a more Christ-like person.

A little-known pastor named Rick Warren once said at a pastor’s conference that if you stop learning, you stop leading. Let us all commit to the lifelong learning that transforms our hearts and souls, and therefore our ministry.

Heavenly Father, thank you for the ability to learn from the past -- ours, and others'. Help us to look at life experiences through the lens of learning, of constant growth and maturation. Thank you for those situations and relationships that challenge us, for it is the crucible and not the classroom that will change us the most. Amen.