Devotion: Be Teachable, Even When Illness Threatens to Make You Feel Ignorant

“But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.” (2 Timothy 3:14-15)

I have my moments of feeling vulnerable, like I am failing at life. I feel blessed that I am not a negative person by nature or easily depressed, so it is only a momentary feeling when I begin to think I am in over my head. But even as I think the words to myself, I feel like such an idiot, I can see the damage they can inflict on my mood, my outlook. I cannot fathom feeling this way all the time.

Whether you are someone who is typically in control of your emotions, or a person who must use “self-talk” of God’s promises moment by moment, we all have some amazing experiences that we can count as valuable lessons.

God doesn’t want us to keep making the same mistake over and over. He has given us the gift of reading the Word so we can seek out the mistakes those before us made, which were recorded for our benefit, so that we can learn. We have our own experiences and our reflections about them. As the scripture says above, “what you have become convinced of.” And we have the ability to pray to God and ask Him for wisdom–which is a way of learning without having to first make the mistake!

Illness teaches us many lessons. How to find a doctor who we like. How to get our blood drawn without running from the room. We learn how to manage our energy, so that we have a way to pace ourselves. We find out how to prioritize what is really important and what is not. Most of all, we quickly learn that we are not meant to do life on this earth without walking step by step alongside God.

Be teachable! God teaches us so many things and very few of them ever come through Sunday school lessons. Most come when your child asks you, “Does God wear clothes?. . .why not?” It happens when you see someone suffering and no one noticing him. It happens when you are encouraging a friend who has been experiencing suffering, and as you hear yourself talking you realize your really have been learning something through the suffering when it simply felt painful.

You may feel unknowing, confused, scatter-brained, or simply a slow learner. But God has designed your experiences, personality–everything about your life–exactly how He intended. So listen to His quiet voice and take comfort in all that you have learned.

Prayer: Lord, sometimes I feel like I just keep running on that hamster wheel of life and I haven’t learned some things nearly as easily as You intended. Help me to see that which I have become convinced of, and give me an eagerness to continue to learn at Your feet.

About the Author:
Lisa Copen is an author, speaker, and the founder of Rest Ministries which serves the chronically ill. She lives in San Diego with her husband and 8-year-old son. She is currently writing a book for Christian moms who live with chronic illness. If you are interested in sharing your stories, feedback and confessions for the book, visit her Facebook page at http://MomWithIllness.com .

You can now read this on your Kindle. Find out more at http://TodaysDevotionOnKindle.com

Do you ever feel like a really slow learner when it comes to life’s lessons or the wisdom you are supposed to finding through your illness? When you really think about it, what ONE THING are you convinced of?