Are You Teachable?

So Moses listened to the voice of his father-in-law and did all that he had said. Moses chose able men out of all Israel and made them heads over the people, chiefs of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens. And they judged the people at all times. Any hard case they brought to Moses, but any small matter they decided themselves. Then Moses let his father-in-law depart, and he went away to his own country. (Exodus 18:24-27 ESV).

 

Our reading today calls our attention to the importance of a teachable spirit. Jethro cared about his daughter’s family. His son-in-law Moses had a big job but was burning his candle at both ends. In compassion, Jethro offered Moses advice to help him work in a healthier way: “What you are doing is not good. . . . The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone.” Jethro offered his wisdom to Moses in love. He wanted to help Moses avoid the burnout of trying to do all the leadership himself.

 

Moses, thankfully, had a teachable spirit. He could have ­ignored his father-in-law’s wisdom and continued down the path toward exhaustion, but Moses chose instead to follow Jethro’s advice. He could have received this as criticism of his work, but instead Moses heard it as a gift from a wise mentor.

 

In today’s world of near-anonymity through social media everyone is an expert. I remember years ago someone reminded me that an “expert” was just a “has-been drip.” You may need to be a bit older to catch the meaning of that play on words, though it does recall the necessity of the desire to ever be a learner. I know that it is often irritating when people offer unsolicited advice. But God calls us to care about the people around us. Sometimes caring means shar­ing our wisdom, and other times it means being willing to be taught. The Spirit knits the church together for our benefit and for God’s glory. We can benefit from the godly wisdom of our brothers and sisters if we keep a teachable spirit.

 

This being true, let me make a couple of observations. First, listen more than you speak. I find it always true that I can only learn when I am listening. Listen intently to others. Second, everyone has something to teach to others. Do not abdicate your role in the process of teaching others truth. What you may think everyone knows may be just the one thing that someone else needs for their next step of faith. Share with others in love and gentleness.