Teachable and Humble

December 5

Amos 1-2

Psalm 137

Proverbs 29:1-3

3 John 1

Teachable and Humble

“He who is often reproved, yet stiffens his neck, will suddenly be broken beyond healing.”  Proverbs 29:1 ESV

By now you all know how much I love sports.  Football, basketball, and soccer are my favorites, but you can probably talk me into watching any sporting event.  I love the competition and the excitement of a good game. Unfortunately, when God handed out athletic ability, I think I forgot to get in line because I didn’t get any.  So, I watch from the bleachers.  I have learned a lot over the years from watching games and listening to coaches and athletes talk about great players and teams.  One quality stands out in determining the level of success they will achieve.  When asked about the secret of his success in basketball, Michael Jordan gave this explanation, “My best skill was that I was coachable.  I was a sponge and aggressive to learn.”23 Athletes and teams who reach the highest levels are ones who recognize that there is always room to improve.  They are humble and don’t think they have it all figured out.  They want to learn and are disciplined and dedicated to doing whatever it takes to get better.  Talent will take you a long way, but at the end of the day, the ones who reach the top are the ones who are never satisfied with yesterday’s win.  They are always pushing themselves to be better, try harder, go to the next level.  When they reach a goal; they set another one. 

This is not only true for athletes.   This applies to every area of our lives.  Being teachable and humble will help us succeed in anything we do.  A willingness to accept and utilize advice will determine the path our lives take.  “Stiffening our necks” and refusing to listen to advice will eventually lead to failure.  Thomas Edison said, “I have not failed.  I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”24 Henry Ford said, “Failure is only the opportunity to begin again, only this time more wisely.”²5 Everyone who has achieved something great has experienced failure and used it as an opportunity to learn.  “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.”  Proverbs 16:18 (NIV) A humble spirit gives God plenty of room to work in our lives.  It can be argued that Michael Jordan was the GOAT, the Greatest basketball player Of All Time.  And yet he recognized that he didn’t know everything.  He knew that there was always room for improvement.  Most of us will never be able to say that we are the GOAT in anything.   But even if we could say that we are the GOAT there is still room to grow.  Instead of being easily offended and refusing to listen to advice, may we wisely soak in what we are told, prayerfully examine it, and wisely apply what is beneficial to our lives.  Not all advice is useful, but we need to always be open and receptive to those God sends to teach us.