APPRECIATE “UNSPOKEN LESSONS”

I had an appointment to keep with my grandfather in the faith. It was the early days of ministry and one of my leaders in the ministry went with me. When he arrived, he met us at the lobby of the ministry secretariat.

He beckoned, and we walked all the way to his office on the last floor. The young man also went along with me. As we got to the office of his secretary, he turned to me and asked, “Son, who is he to you?” I mentioned that he was one of the leaders in the ministry. He said to him, “God bless you. You can wait here.” He then turned to me and said, “Son, follow me.”

It took me about five years after and couple of mistakes to learn the lesson from that simple gesture. What I should have learnt by observation, I eventually learnt by painful experience. 

There are different ways to learn in life:

You can learn by observation.

You can learn by association.

You can learn through formal training or teaching. 

Philippians 4:9 ICB

And do what you learned and received from me. Do what I told you and what you saw me do. And the God who gives peace will be with you.

There are things you will be told.

There are things you will see.

If you are open to training, most of what you see will come from unspoken lessons. Learn to be observant. Draw as much as you can.

In life, you will have many unconscious teachers, but you must never be an unconscious learner. As a matter of fact, most of the things you will learn will not be through formal interactions.

The disciples observed Jesus, and they saw a link between what happens during the day in the ministry of Jesus and his culture of praying.

They saw Jesus pray a long time before dawn.

Mark 1:35 NIV

Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.

They saw Jesus pray all night.

Luke 6:12 ICB

At that time Jesus went off to a mountain to pray. He stayed there all night, praying to God.

They came to Jesus after they had observed him in prayers to ask for a training on prayer.

Luke 11:1 NIV

One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”

Are you learning from unspoken moments or are your lessons slipping by?

temilOluwa Ola, Eruwa