Lessons Learned

 

“Life will keep teaching you the same lesson until you get it” — Unknown

Many years ago, I preached a sermon on patience, and somewhere in the sermon I said something like: 

"I don't pray for God to give me patience because it seems like every time I do, God gives me moments where I have to learn patience on my own instead." 

You should know that statement was tongue-in-cheek because I don't believe God works that way.  God is in the renewal, restoration, and resurrection business, not the keep-testing-Leon business. 

But I know that when we struggle with patience, we will almost certainly find ourselves in situations where we can learn how to exercise it. The same is true for every other lesson we need to learn.  

When it comes to these life lessons, I think it's easy to simply state, "Well, I guess God wants me to learn that, so God made that happen."  Honestly, there's a certain amount of hubris involved in that kind of thinking and a decided lack of self-awareness. 

Having said that, I still think (and sometimes say) that very thing when I'm in a situation where one of the many things I need to learn is front and center.  It happens when it comes to learning patience and self-confidence, controlling anger, dealing with fear, and other issues. 

Here's the thing. 

We find ourselves in these situations repeatedly until we figure out how to find peace, practice centeredness, let go of our attachments, or simply learn to forgive ourselves. 

Those situations don't ever go away.  They aren't magically appearing because we need to go through a test.  They just happen.  And they keep happening even after we figure out how to deal with them. 

We don't experience them the same way only once we've figured that out.  

And through all this, God is present and longing for us to become the best versions of ourselves.  But most of all, God is simply there pointing us to grace, wonder,  serenity, and oneness with God. 

So know that you are not alone as you struggle to learn the same lessons until you get them.  There is a whole bunch of us muddling through the same thing.  And none of us is left alone by a God who desires nothing more than for us to live abundant and full lives. 

May it be so for you today and every day from this day.  And may the grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you now and always. Amen.