I have no doubt my children are blessings from the Lord. Not because they are perfect or because they have it all figured out. I’m crazy about them for so many reasons, but an extra blessing is what the Lord teaches me through them.
This Spring brought with it a new opportunity for my daughter. She had the chance to try out for the pom team at her school. As a mother, part of me wanted her to have nothing to do with this process. Not because she wasn’t capable but because I have seen her disappointed heart in the past and so wanted to protect her from those feelings. I also knew it would be challenging. There are so many talented girls trying out for the same spots.
I found myself worrying about it weeks before tryouts even began. The Lord tugged at my heart to turn it over to Him – to pray about it every time I felt my mind drift towards worry. I began to pray not that the Lord would make sure my daughter made the team but that He would use the experience in her life to grow her, to teach her, to mold her to be more like Him.
It was a true joy to witness her determination, her work ethic, and her compassionate heart for others shine brightly during the process. But looking back, what the Lord wanted to teach me through watching her was the teachable spirit she reflected.
My daughter wanted to learn, to understand, to improve. She asked for critique, feedback, and help and then followed the advice she received. She learned from her mistakes. She didn’t try to rely on just what she knew or to do it all on her own. She allowed others to help her. I watched her over and over again practice to make sure she was getting it right. There were times she fell or stumbled and had to start over. But that didn’t stop her. She stood back up and tried again. I watched her over and over again practice the instruction that she received to make sure she was getting it right.
The Lord reminded me through all of this that this teachable spirit is exactly what He desires from each of us. That we would realize we can’t do this life on our own. That we would seek Him and His guidance through prayer and spending time in His word. That we would be obedient and faithful to His direction. And that even when we don’t understand the why’s or how’s, that we would trust Him. That when we stumble and fall (I can so relate), that we get back up again relying on His strength and His grace.
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. ~ James 1:2-6
The Lord did answer my prayer in that my daughter grew through the tryout experience. The Lord is faithful in that way. She actually made the team, which was a real bonus. But that wasn’t what our prayers centered on. There were so many greater things to learn through the process than just the end result. I think I grew through the process as well and I’m so grateful for what the Lord taught me.
My prayer is that we start each new day with a teachable spirit, that we seek His true wisdom with our whole heart, that we quit making the same mistakes, that we get back up when life gets hard, and through His unfailing grace that we would find joy in the trying.
4 Responses to A Teachable Spirit