When you’re young and wild, you think you know everything. You don’t mind taking someone on who doesn’t think and do like you do. You actually wish everybody would be more like you are, because then the world would be a much better place.

But the older you get, the more you realise that you don’t know everything. You start recognising all your shortcomings. When I look back on my life, I see how many times I was wrong. I see the damage to my toes that I stubbed so often and the worst I see is the whole lot of hurt that I left in my wake.

They say wisdom comes with age and that makes more sense than ever now. The mistakes we make teach us where to walk and where not to. I’ve also learnt that I cannot learn on my own. Paul suggests: ¹⁶… Instruct and direct one another using good common sense. Or as it says in the Living Bible: … let his words enrich your lives and make you wise; teach them to each other …

When we’re young and impetuous, we want to teach others, not realising that we should rather learn from them. And then you miss a lot. You see, when you play inside the scrum of life, you only have a partial view. It is impossible to see the whole game with one look. But the coach sitting in the stands sees a much better picture of the game. He knows every player. He knows the game plan. He can even see the opponents and what their plans are.

Halftime you have to hang onto his every word. You must take in every word, because it contains so much wisdom. The coach can identify the mistakes that were made in the first half and you can learn from that, and how to adjust the way you play in the second half.

You would be stupid not to learn from the coach.

The Lord puts many coaches in our path that we can learn from. Often it may be our spouse. But why is it so difficult to give him or her space to teach me? First, we refuse to learn and say it isn’t so and keep to our point. Sometimes we hold onto our point of view so hard that it becomes a fierce fight, but when we sit back, we realise that he or she actually had a point.

We can avoid a whole lot of pain and suffering if we could only realise how much we can learn from one another. With such an attitude we’ll be wise long before we’re old. Let’s be open to learning from one another. Give one another space and time and wisdom will grow automatically in us.

Be on the lookout for the coaches that God puts in your way.

To be wise is to learn from one another.

Scripture

Colossians 3:12-17

Reflection

Do you like learning from others?

What must you do to learn more from others?

Prayer

Father, I must admit that I do not always give others the space to teach me. I realise that I miss a lot and that I need wisdom. I want to learn more. Please help me to make space for others to teach me. Amen.