Learning Something New

I am confident that one day I will be a published author.  I just know it.  Call me an optimist, a dreamer or crazy, but I am confident of the dream God has given me and know that He will give me an avenue to share the burden on my heart.

Because of this dream book ideas and book titles are always around me.  They pop up in the craziest of times and silliest of ways.  A few years ago I grew weary of hearing my boys say to one another, "I know."  They used this phrase to everyone about everything.  I was one of these teenagers...always thinking I was right, knowing that I knew the right thing and at the right time.  I did not want my boys to become what I once was, so we decided to change the "I know" to "You're right."  Because if someone tells us what we already know to be true, aren't they right?! 

Also the attitude behind the two phrases is different.  The attitude of "I know" is one of superiority.  It's the I'm better than you...I'm smarter than you...Who do you think you are to try and teach me.  Definitely not the mind of Christ. 

Now the attitude of the second phrase is one of encouragement, praise and support.  It says, "Good job!"  The words build up the spirit of the speaker as having been acknowledged with success.  Because really, don't you just love being right?  Isn't it a wonderful feeling knowing you have the right information and knowledge?  Trust me, I have been wrong often enough in my "25" years that being right is an AMAZING feeling.  And to have someone else acknowledge my "rightness" creates a pause in the moment as I savor the euphoria.  lol!

Recently, teenagers in our youth group acknowledged that they have stopped coming to the youth service because they already know everything being taught.  They already know that God desires His children to be in church inviting their unsaved friends to join them.  They already know that Christians should spend consistent, quality time in Bible study and prayer.  The importance of memorizing Scripture has already been taught to them.  They know the value of accountability. 

I could go on and on because we teach the basics of the Christian faith so that when teenagers graduate high school and go on to college we desire them to not graduate from their faith.  We have a passion about instilling the disciplines of the faith so deep in the souls of the students entrusted to us that we will not stop teaching them what they may already know.  This passion extends to the deep-seeded desire to watch them reproduce themselves in others.  To take the knowledge they have gained and instill it in another is something that produces a high no drug created can compete with.

Seeing former youth now involved in full-time ministry, hearing about the salvations of students on a dorm floor because of the leadership of one who graduated from our ministry but not his faith...these are the reasons we struggle for what we hold dear.

Our new pastor said in his first sermon at our church, "Doctrine that does not lead to practice is wasted knowledge."  Knowing God desires you to come to church and grow with other believers is wasted if you do not show up.  Knowing God wants you to share His love with those around you is wasted if you never open your mouth.  Knowing God hopes to see you lead others to grow in Him is wasted if you choose to take yourself out of church instead of stepping up to leadership positions.

There comes a time in every Christian's life where the phrase "Actions speak louder than words," is evident.  Knowledge is wasted if actions of that knowledge are not displayed.

Because really...can't we all learn something new when we already knew everything?

future book title..."Learning Something New When I Already Knew Everything." :)