“Mommy, if grownups know everything, how will I know everything one day if I don’t ask you?”

These words tumbled from my own mouth after my mother asked me to give her a break from the questions. I was probably 5 years old, maybe 6, but I can still distinctly remember that feeling and desire to KNOW and to know EVERYTHING. {Maybe that is why the Lord is delaying our childbearing days…if the little one is anything like me, I may have to pray for divine answers HOURLY!}

In college, after waiting a year and a half to declare a major, I promptly decided on two because, well, I wanted to learn everything I could and I wanted to be diversified. Considering both fell under a bachelor of arts, I am not sure how successful I was, BUT nonetheless, my choices were teasingly diverse to me.

On Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, I would sit at the front of the class to not only soak in every word from my psychology professors but also to interact and debate points of counseling and relationships and issues common to man. But on Tuesdays and Thursdays, a different Lindsey would come to class, planting herself in the middle of the classroom in a position to soak up the ping-pong of words from my fellow communications comrades. Not introverted enough for psychology nor extroverted enough for a communications degree alone, I soaked in information from both worlds into my hungry brain.

In fact, just before graduation knocked at my door, my communications professors dubbed me “The Sponge” for my desire to not simply pass tests but to soak up every bit of knowledge possible. Heck, during the last semester of my senior year, I took an un-required full load because I figured I {or Mom & Dad, at least} was paying for it so I better squeeze every bit of knowledge from the university that my pennies would pay for. {I know…I know…I am kind of a nerd…but really…honestly…I’m sort of proud of it!}

But let me be real….I should have taken ALL FOUR YEARS AS seriously. I mean I took French. FRENCH?!?! Now while most of you may be applauding my willingness to dive into a new and strange foreign language, I have to tell you….I GREW UP in a French-speaking country. So not NEW or STRANGE or even FOREIGN!! So no real challenge there. And then…I had the audacity to get a C one semester because I hated the curriculum and the teaching style of the professor and eventually stopped giving my best effort. Ugh! A thorn in the side of this nerdy little missionary girl. Now…with hindsight and all, I wonder now why I did not take Spanish {There were not too many language choices available except Hebrew…and although I would love to learn that too….well…that’s another story for another day}. Bottom line, I wish I had pushed myself more.

And while this might seem like a silly, LONG, and even rambly example…..sometimes we are still like that. {It’s not just me, right?}

We want to learn, to suck the proverbial marrow out of life, so God pushes us out there with jobs or kids or houses or dreams or relationships or ministries, sometimes after waiting in the wings for longer than we planned. It’s finally happening, and then…we shrink back wondering why we ever signed up for this learning curve in the first place. Why did we ask for more? Pray for more? Open up our hearts to the Father saying, “Please use me!”

“I must have lost my mind,” we think to ourselves.

So we close the brand new, shiny door the Father is slowly opening for us because the growing pains seem to hurt too much or the lessons are boring and repetitive or we are just plain tired out.

My friend, Josh Miller, described it to me like this one time: when you declare a major in undergrad, the first class you take is Intro to {fill in the blank} to give you the basics of what the next 30-40 credit hours will be about. However, as you move on to each class, following Intro, the professor will spend some time reviewing material that you learned in the very first class. He doesn’t do this because the students are stupid or thick-headed {hopefully}. He does it because…well…we forget. We’re human and he gets that.

And so does God.

There is no shame in on-going learning.
In fact, it is kind of part of God’s built-in plan.
We’re human.
And HE gets that.

We won’t always be at our best or apply ourselves completely
But other times we will.
There are no trophies or dunce caps in God’s great classroom
just love and grace and mercy
and the best textbook ever
reminding us of what we might have forgotten, even from 5 minutes ago.

I’m not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don’t get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I’ve got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I’m off and running, and I’m not turning back.
Philippians 3:12-14, The Message