Teachable Spirit!

Ok, I really try to never blog out of frustration and I think it is because 99% of my frustrations are my own bouts with sin and in that case my goal is to blog and tell you how far off I am. But this one in particular I feel like I certainly haven’t arrived but by golly I am trying. Someone made a comment recently that has really gotten under my skin and I have prayed about it and I think this is “godly anger”. The kind where God wants me to use this frustration to a.) check myself and to b.) tell you guys not to be like this (in case you were thinking of being hahahhaha) Ok, so the comment was simply “I just don’t believe in so in so”. I will refrain from the specifics but basically you can fill in the blank. I don’t believe in budgeting, this or that type of parenting, building up your husband, the list can go on and on but what it all boils down to is us not having a teachable spirit. People always make fun of me because I read a book for everything. When we got our puppy dog, I didn’t think to myself, oh I’ll just wing it. No, I have NO clue about house training a dog and personally I didn’t want my dog peeing all over my carpet. So I got a book, did what the book said, and wouldn’t you know, it worked. When I got married, I didn’t think, we’ll just roll with the punches. No, I got a book (actually about 20 of them). I had never been married before, I didn’t have an example as a child, and the divorce rate is 50% so I thought it may be a good idea to seek advice from some experts. And after only 3 ½ short years (or 30 for that matter) of marriage, I don’t dare think I am done with that learning curve. I have done the same with parenting and certainly plan to in the future. I have a godly friend back home and her children act like angels and quite frankly that is who I will follow. We have had friends who were extremely financially secure at a young age and we want to learn from them. We read books on budgeting and have meetings with financial advisors to plan for money we aren’t even making. Another recent example is the fact that I am having to completely rethink how I view eating. A few years ago I thought if I was eating a Lean Pocket and a Diet Coke that I was being healthy but now I am learning that whole foods are the way to go. Is that natural for me, no way, I have never shopped in the produce section and I couldn’t tell you how much a reasonable price is for a pound of potatoes if my life depended on it, but I am LEARNING! I have been reading about the ji-normous (that is huge) benefits of water and I am having to measure out my water intake for a period until it creates a habit. People, we have got to have teachable spirits. We can not and should not assume that we are the know all of anything. Find someone who has what you want and start with them. If your friend’s child seems to model that verse, “children are a blessing from the Lord” find out what they are doing and go with it! That is the Super Nanny motto and we are often too proud or too lazy to take hold of a better way. If your finances are on the brink, your marriage is less than abundant or if you are simply buying a new car, HAVE A TEACHABLE SPIRIT. I am reading an awesome book now and the author points out the verse, God gives grace to the humble but opposes the proud. He takes a huge spin on that verse and asks, what are you doing in life that you need God’s grace to fall heavily upon. Is it a business, well be humble and find someone out there who is running that type of business properly and have a teachable spirit. Is it a marriage? Then engross yourself in every Bible verse or Christian book regarding marriage and DO WHAT IT SAYS! Let’s don’t think we know it all, let’s do the opposite, let’s assume we know nothing. I was a finance major in college and one of my biggest mistakes in my first few years out of college was assuming I knew it all. I finally read Dave Ramsey’s “Total Money Makeover” and I am still picking up the pieces from bad decisions that resulted from a sad “I don’t believe in” moment that had nothing to do with anything other than pride. See my problem with the person above who commented on “not believing in something” has little to do with the comment itself, it has to do with me knowing how not believing in that is working for them! Results tell all! Some people say they don’t like to read “self help”, they prefer the getaway of fiction and I say enjoy your fiction but you can’t go through this life never learning anymore than you already know and expect to get better results. Ok readers, I love you guys and I don’t dare want any of us falling into this ugly, prideful, bout with insanity. Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. What are you doing that is insane, parenting, marriage, finances, house cleaning, business investing, you fill in your blank and GO BUY A BOOK!!!!!!!!!!!!

Striving to be a continual learner,
Kelly