Teachable
As I've thought about my journey towards Jesus Christ, I've pondered on some of the principles that have had the biggest impact on my growth. One of those attributes is humility, or being teachable.
I once read an interesting book about different aspects of our personality and how it relates to our religion, priorities, and ethics (it was for an ethics class, The Righteous Mind by Jonathan Haidt). One aspect he talked about was being open to new experiences vs. being closed off. If you are someone who likes new experiences and novelty, you are more open to doing things differently than you have in the past. If you are afraid of new things and don't like the jarring effect of doing things out of your comfort zone, you are much more likely to stick with tried and true, rules and traditions. I've thought about this a lot as it relates to our progression in the gospel.
It's really hard to learn when you believe you are already doing things right. It's really hard to learn when you don't feel the need to change or be different. When you aren't willing to experiment, you stay where you are. Humility means willing to change. Not being open to new experiences is a form of pride.
When it comes to being a disciple of Jesus Christ, you have to be open to new experiences! You have to be willing to change, change your mind, and be open to new ideas. In a word, you have to be teachable.
Isaiah teaches us, "But now, O Lord, thou art our father, and we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we are all the work of thy hand" (Isaiah 64:8).
We can be that teachable, moldable clay in our Father's hands by being open to changing our opinions, or being willing to change how we have always done things, being willing to change rote habits into rich spiritual experiences, and being open to learning from others no matter their experience or position (see Elder Bednar's Meek and Lowly of Heart).
What is the outcome of being teachable like this?
I love how Alma 32 taught me about this the other day. Our faith or our belief in Jesus Christ's teachings starts out as a seed. As we are willing to act and experiment, to do things differently and be teachable, things begin to change.
"If ye have only exercised your faith to plant the seed, experiment upon my words to know if the seed was good. That it may get root, that it may grow up and bring forth fruit unto us." v.36-37
Experimenting upon the word, trying something different, doing something new, being teachable, means you now have the roots and the start of a tree. What happens if you continue in this way of living for a lifetime?
"And because of your diligence, ye shall pluck the fruit, and ye shall feast upon this fruit even until ye are filled, and ye hunger not, neither shall ye thirst... Your burdens may be light, through the joy of his Son." v. 42, 33:23
In other words the results of this way of living is rest. Overcoming the world and finding rest, just as President Nelson has promised.
After planting your faith, humility is the next step to allowing it to grow, by experimenting and changing your behavior. Beyond humility is meekness. "Whereas humility generally denotes dependence upon God and the constant need for His guidance and support, meekness is defined by righteous responsiveness, willing submissiveness, and strong self-restraint."-- Elder Bednar
Being teachable and humble will lead us to meekness, to plucking off the fruit and living in His rest. "Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls." Matthew 11:29
I’m so grateful for this gospel and the chance which Jesus gives us to draw closer to him! It’s such a blessing to learn his ways, and blesses our lives so much.
If you already have that seed of faith planted in you, I invite you to take the next step by being open to what the Lord has to teach you, by being humble. Then as we grow together in faith, I pray that we can both someday pluck the fruits our Father has in store for us-- His meekness, rest, and overcoming the world.
