Training Day

Training

“Thus saith the Lord, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the Lord thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go.”

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭48:17‬

Have you ever been to a training class? Or, have you ever been involved in training someone?

Almost everyone who answers these should answer yes. Our life is training. No matter what stage we are at. Whether we are young, old or in between, where we are now is a result of our experiences in life. And these experiences have trained our responses, thus producing results.  Our roles in life have led us to teach others or to be taught by someone else in order to prepare them or us. It’s a constant cycle. We will get older and teach others. Sometimes the things we teach will be things we learned. 

I was almost always more comfortable teaching a class when I had learned as much as I could about the subject I was teaching. Only when I had gone through the materials, knew the processes and experienced the lesson firsthand, did I feel comfortable teaching it. 

I’ve also watched as someone was ill-prepared, attempting to teach a class they knew nothing about. They had no experience in the matter, hadn’t reviewed the material and they looked miserable trying to explain it. 

Our life is made up of an entire lesson of experiences. Some of us have experiences in matters that others want no part of. Some of us wish we didn’t have the experiences we have. 

I sometimes sit and think what it would be like not to have done some of the things I’ve done. Not to see some of the things I’ve seen. I wonder what it would be like not to have those experiences that taught me some of the things I’ve learned. 

I wonder as well what it is like for those that haven’t experienced some of those things. What their life is like not going through some of the things I’ve been through.  I wonder if because they have never been through those things, would they even know what it would be like?

One thing is for sure, it makes me appreciate where I am now. Without a single doubt, I appreciate where I am in my life.  And even though people look and judge or talk about the things I’ve done, I would do every single one of them to get where I am now - I’m saved. 

It has not been an easy road. The training was the worst I have been through. But it was worth it. And it’s not even over. 

Some people will go to a training class because they have to. They will sit through it and come out the other side bored and having gained nothing from it. Some people will teach a class, making it boring and not really providing anything more than what the material requires. 

A lot of us will live our lives like this. Going from point A to point B without making any improvements or impacts. I have learned more in the last twenty months than I did in fifty years. Period. 

My relationship with God is beyond anything I can imagine, and it’s only just begun. My relationship with my wife is phenomenal - better than I could ever imagine it could be. My outlook, perception and feeling toward the life we live has completely changed. 

I don’t feel like my training is complete. I feel like it’s only just begun. I will add that I feel like my to this point brought me to here. 

Don’t let the training in your life be boring and without purpose. Don’t be a boring trainer. Be involved in your training. Give it direction. Get up early and devote time to God. Devote time to developing a relationship with Him. Don’t let it be about you! 

Start in the morning with prayer. My prayer life started out weak. But I prayed. I was uncomfortable and short. And I’m still not a professional-grade prayer person. But I talk to God. This is how I prepare for my lesson. I use my conversation with God to prepare. 

Read the Bible, this is your lesson plan. The Bible is your material. Take the time to learn it so that you can be a great teacher. And study it so you can use it in your life. 

Take time to meditate. Not the yoga-style meditation. The spiritual type. Meditate in quiet, about your time in the Bible. This is your review period. This is the time to reflect on what you’ve learned. 

And go to church to be around others who are learning as well. We are better students when we are around other students. We become better teachers as we watch others teach. 

Remember, your life is training and you decide what it is training you for. 

“Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,”

‭‭2 Peter‬ ‭1:2‬

Ephesians 4 (yes the entire chapter)