Being Teachable

Most of the time I think I'm teachable. I mean, when I want to learn more about something I read and study and ask people all the while keeping my mind open to what I am reading or learning about. And even if I'm not trying to learn something new, if a situation comes up I am willing to ask for, and listen to, advice from other people. I learn from situations in my life and I learn from situations in other people's lives.

But some people accuse me of being unteachable, unwilling to listen to reason, and stubborn. So, I'm typing out some thoughts to try to sort through it all.

--Sometimes I am unwilling to learn from somebody because they don't agree with me on certain things. I try not to do this, but I do. I can tend to discredit people in my mind and am no longer willing to learn from them... this is usually only over certain topics (those that are most important to me).. but it is still wrong. God can teach me through all types of people with all types of views.

--Sometimes I am unwilling to learn about a topic because I don't want to have to act on that knowledge. Lets face it... sometimes ignorance really is bliss. If I'm ignorant about something I don't have to act on it.

--Sometimes I am unwilling to learn from a situation where I have been hurt. I just want to forget about it and move on so I no longer have to feel the hurt. But it is always better to learn from these hurts... just don't want to sometimes.

--I tend to go to people last when I'm wanting to learn about something. I study, research, and read all I can before I talk to people. Not sure why... and I'm not sure if this is good or bad... but it's just the way I do things. Part of it is that I do not want to be ignorant about something if I'm the one who brings it up in a conversation.

The kicker for me, though, is finding the balance when I truly am being teachable but don't agree with the person teaching me. If someone comes to me and is trying to convince me of something, they accuse me of being unteachable when I do not agree with them in the end. Where is the balance here? And, in thinking through it, I think I do this to people too... if I believe I am right about something and am sharing with somebody and they leave the conversation thinking I'm wrong.... I have a tendency to believe they just had an unteachable heart. How do I know? Maybe they really did take everything in... and they just simply don't agree. People who are very passionate about certain things have tried to convince me they are right... and I have listened and prayed and read and considered... but in the end I just believe they are wrong. This isn't being unteachable... this is being confident in my beliefs, views, and convictions.

But how do being teachable and being confident balance? How do I prevent the confidence in my beliefs and convictions from becoming arrogance? How can I be sure of what I believe and still be teachable? Should I always be teachable?

Hmmmm.....