#136of365 #FaithBites #FaithJourney

Working Hard – Learning More

I had the privilege of attending a faculty development conference today and hearing a professor talk about her education and technology journey. When she was discussing her syllabus and her hard work in teaching, you quoted an older professor “She who works hardest, learns the most”. That seems pretty obvious to all of us: Hard work pays off.

In this case, though, it wasn’t meant as a compliment. It meant that this professor was doing all the heavy lifting for the class and learning the most rather than giving her students the chance to experience more. They didn’t have to research. They didn’t have to come up with learning objectives.

For many of us, our faith journey is like that. We go to our house of worship, we listen to our preacher, we digest it, and move on to our day. Unlike being in a class, we don’t have a test where we have to repeat the information. Our test is how we live our lives.

The question is, who is doing the heavy lifting? Is it just our preachers, or are we doing our own searching, learning, and sharing of the Good News?

“But if from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find him if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul.” – Deuteronomy 4:29″

“Can you fathom the mysteries of God? Can you probe the limits of the Almighty?” – Job 11:7

“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” – Matthew 6:33

God has ordained preachers of his word. They serve a vital role in helping us find the Lord, understanding his word, and helping us be part of a faith community. But faith is not passive. It is not sitting in a lecture hall, um a mean a church, and listening as the words fall over us. It is us to us to put those words into action. To write about them. To talk about them. To research them. When we do this, we become active learners. We walk in faith and more Christ-like every day.

Are you willing to see your role in your faith journey? Are you willing to accept your responsibilities in learning about and sharing the word of the Lord?

I am willing and ready (with the help of God).