#projectC61920 Day 8: Mental Exercise
While we’re busy renewing
our minds through regular Bible study, it’s also important for us to
remember to keep our academic minds alert as well. That part of your mind that
you engaged in elementary, middle, and/or high school, that you put to the test
in college, it needs to be stretched regularly, just like any muscle you work
out in a gym. Our brains are a muscle, and we must exercise that muscle.
There are a few ways we can do this. There’s formal
education (getting your high school diploma/GED, college classes, undergraduate
and graduate degrees, etc.), incidental education (on-the-job training beyond
the minimum required for your position, vocational cross-training), and
elective education (online or correspondence courses outside a degree plan,
technical certification courses, even YouTube videos!). Any or a combination of
these things can keep your mind sharp.
But in order to learn, we have to remember to remain teachable. As I’ve grown older, I’ve
felt the draw to think that I’ve learned enough to earn some respect. But let’s
face it, we don’t know everything (especially when we think we do), and we
never will. Everyone and everything can teach us something. So when you’re at
your job and you find yourself under the supervision (or employment!) of
someone younger than you, don’t let your pride kick into gear. Everyone can
teach you something, even if it’s how not
to do something. And we have to remember that there’s always something more to
learn that will make us better people.
- · Noah was 480 years old when God told him to learn to be a carpenter and sailor (when sailing hadn’t even been invented yet) and build the ark (Gen. 6:1-8:13). And after just over 120 years, he sailed in the first boat and it’s not even recorded that he ever did after the flood waters receded.
- · Moses was raised under Pharaoh as an Egyptian noble until he was 40, then had to learn to be a shepherd for the next 40 years, after which, he had to learn some serious leadership and desert survival skills to lead the Israelites out of Egypt and across the desert (Acts 7:23-24, Acts 7:30, Exodus 7:3, Numbers 32:13).
- · David was a musician for the King (1 Sam. 16:23) and shepherd for his father (1 Sam. 16:11, 17:15). He developed marksmanship skills with a slingshot which allowed him to be a warrior with less than a day’s notice (1 Sam. 17:49-51), and then had to learn to be king later in his life (1 Sam. 6:13, 2 Sam. 2:7)
- · Paul was a scholar among the Pharisees (Acts 23:6; 26:5) turned preacher after his conversion (Acts 17:16-34).
- · Many of the prophets were not groomed to be prophets, but rather had to gain those skills.
If these people had been unwilling to expand their horizons,
many who are now in the “Hall
of Faith” would never have been included.
As far as formal, traditional education, I’m not saying you
have to be a Rhode Scholar, either. Peter and John were known for being “uneducated”
(which really meant not scholarly). But it doesn’t mean they were incapable of
learning or didn’t even seek knowledge. There’s nothing wrong with pursuing
educational credentials if you have the opportunity. I myself have just signed
up to pursue a Master’s degree using the educational benefits I have been
blessed with from my time in the Army.
There are also non-traditional forms of self-education that
can exercise our minds. I’m a big fan of YouTube tutorials. Many users on there
often try to make their lessons quite entertaining in order to garner views.
Help them and help yourself! Just don’t get too distracted by all the pure
entertainment on those websites! In a society where education is a click away,
we should avail ourselves to learn something new every day.
So the challenge for today is:
- 1. Set a goal for yourself. Whether it’s getting a degree, finishing one, getting certified in a technical field, or being proficiently cross-trained in some vocational skill, set a quantifiable goal and ley out the steps to achieving it.
- 2. Learn something today. Pick out a topic of some practical skill (growing a garden, cooking, making clothes or furniture, learning the parts and functions of personal computers, learning a language like sign language) and get started. Learn something you can put to use as a hobby or a service. Just learn something new!
Stretch your mind and make it a habit!
#walkwithme
No comments:
Post a Comment