learning things

I've always liked learning things, enjoyed using my brain for things, always been kind of a bookish, school-nerdy type of gal. Fifteen or twenty years ago, you'd probably find me checking out 8 library books per week, or wandering around my yard, lost in some complicated imaginary game/role play I'd made up (along with my sister and my friend Anne). And while I love physical activity, and using my hands - my brain is the one muscle (ok I know it's not actually a muscle) in my body that never shuts down.

It's still true today that I love to read, love to think about things, love to learn... but it seems that the things I am learning are much tougher than they used to be. I thought trigonometry was tricky, I didn't really care much for physics, and learning all the capitals of all the states was a downright pain. But that's nothing compared to learning that I am not in control of my life, learning to hand over the reins to God, learning what it means to live a life that is tied to God's word. There are moments (minutes, hours, days...) I catch myself thinking, "I'd gladly dissect a frog, find the acceleration of a tennis ball as it's launched across the room, or conjugate German verbs... gladly do any of those things, rather than learn this particular lesson."

But what I realized is that I used to be learning information. It was knowledge - it's concrete, and factual. It's good, it's valuable, and I still like it. But today's lessons focus on wisdom. I can't read someone else's wisdom and have it take root in my heart. I have to live, learn, pray, wrestle, pray more, talk, make mistakes, try again... The really cool thing is that I can feel the roots growing deep. I may not remember the atomic numbers of the elements, or where exactly the Euphrates River is on a map... but the wisdom I'm growing these days is imprinted on my heart. There's not much of it yet, but it's slo-o-owly increasing... and it's permanent. Praise God for the way He grows us into His plans for us - for tough lessons, for love that passes all understanding. And for the fact that a proud, selfish, naive, short-sighted, impatient gal like me can walk along a narrow path toward wisdom - only because she is holding tight to the hand of her almighty Creator.