learning curve

 I remember when I was young, I loved to help my mom bake. I would sit in that kitchen, asking her questions and trying to help as much as she would let me. When I was about ten, I declared that I was going to make a batch of chocolate chip cookies all by myself. My mother said she would be around if I needed her.  I was quite certain I would make great cookies all by myself.  I started out great but as a batch was in the oven, I got distracted by something else.  I realized my cookies might burn and rushed to pull the cookies from the oven. I realized too late that I had forgotten the hot pad. I grabbed that sheet of cookies bare handed, burning my hand badly.  I knew right away I needed my mom.  She quickly doctored my hand and finished baking the cookies.  I felt that burn for several days.  I learned quickly that day, that hot pads are truly necessary and I still think of that incident today when I open a hot oven. I still have a love for baking and my baking skills have greatly increased. That day, I had a jump in my learning curve.

What is a learning curve? It is defined as the rate of a person's progress in gaining new experience ir new skills.  This applied to every new skill or experience we have.  We all learn at different rates and speeds. Some experiences give a great amount of experience and others bring us forward little by little.  This applied to our spiritual walk as well.  

I was raised in church and learned early on, that that does not make me any better or less of a sinner than anyone else.  We are all born into sin and we all are in desperate need of the Savior. I learned Bible stories and memorized verses.  This has been a foundation on which I have been able to stand as an adult. But those stories and verses are not enough for a lifetime. I needed to learn to more about God, experience God for myself and learn from my own experiences, good and bad. 

As I became an adult, I had to determine for myself that God was there for me as well.  I had friends who walked away from God as soon as they were no longer at home with parents. I had others who were determined to walk toward God with all their heart and soul.  I had to make a decision for myself to serve God.  Looking back, that was an easy decision. But making the decision over and over in the face of adversity, trial and loss is a bit harder.  I have learned that God is always present and never leaves or forsakes his children.  When I choose Him, he always responds to work for my good.  Not what I want, but for my good.  I have learned that Bible study and prayer are deeply important to my spiritual growth. I have learned that church attendance and fellowship are important for spiritual development. I have learned that fasting is necessary at times. I have learned that my life has no meaning without Christ as the center. 

I have also learned that being a Christian is not about being perfect. I used to look at older saints and never imagine they made any mistakes. I wondered how I could ever live up to that standard.  I have learned that I do not need to be perfect and neither were any of these saints. Churches are filled with imperfect people and that is what makes church so wonderful.  Matthew 5:48 in the Amplified Version says, You, therefore, will be perfect [growing into spiritual maturity both in mind and character, actively integrating godly values into your daily life], as your heavenly Father is perfect. Jesus was telling us to work toward maturity and grow in the spirit, not expect to never make a mistake again.  His mercies are new every morning (Lamentations 3:22-23) and he knows humans are not perfect, he does expect us to grow and learn. To perfect is to finish or complete a work in us. We all make mistakes. We all say or do things that are not from a heart of love. We all have moments that our past and sinful nature attempt to rise up. We all get tired, grumpy, frustrated, disappointed and even allow those things to dominate our thoughts and actions. We are not perfect. We may see others fall, we may fall ourselves. We may be hurt by words from another. This does not mean we are not going to make it through or be loved by Christ. Instead, it speaks of the need to learn from the experience, fall into the arms of Jesus again, and allow him to work on our hearts. These moments bring us further along the spiritual learning curve. The decisions we make in those moments determine our growth in Christ. Do we call out," I need to you God!" Do we turn away in shame and give up?  These decisions bring about growth or destruction to our soul.  Do we pray and reach out to the fallen and hurt or write them off as another one who could not serve?  Our decisions to determine our growth.

Hebrews 13:21 Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.  This verse tells me that God will work on me as I submit to him and allow him to work on me. He will change me and develop growth in me to make me more like him. He is able to change my imperfections, forgive me when I fall, and lift me up to better.  He will make me well pleasing, I cannot be changed and increased in faith without him. 

2 Corinthians 12:9 says his strength in perfect in my weakness. When I am disappointed, see fault in others or myself, I can lean on his strength. He will carry me through. I do not need to expect perfection from myself or anyone else. I can expect to hurt, disappointed, and find that faults can be hard for relationships. But, God's grace and mercy can be extended to me and to others. God's grace and love will cover a multitude of sins. (1 Peter 4:8)  When we love with the love of God, we can become an encourager of those who struggle, and a lifter up of the fallen. When we place our faith in Christ through all circumstances, we become a testimony of faith. When we run after God and His purpose, we grow in strength, faith, love, and humility.

 We are all somewhere on this learning curve of faith. Some have had great experiences that have developed deep faith quickly, some of us are taking baby steps all along the way.  We can only pray one for another and love one another as Christ loves us. (John 13:34-35)  We are not called to be perfect, but to work toward perfection or maturity in Christ. He will finish the work, consecrate us and complete his plan in us as we submit to him. 

There is a funny picture that shows our plan verses God's plan. It shows us planning out a straight line straight to glory, but God's plan is full of ups and downs, curves and bumps, all of which break off the sin nature, cause growth and bring about the spiritual perfection he seeks to give us. We learn to trust him through each and every curve, up and down. We grow through the learning process. We are all in a process. May we support one another, help one another and give grace to one another, including ourselves as we go through the process of learning to be like Jesus.