The Courage to Learn...Again

The Courage to Learn...Again
Choosing to be a lifelong learner sounds more romantic than it is, and yet, I'm finding a beautiful courage in her steady pursuit. 

I have spent the last few years in a frenzy of business learning and building. Although I sometimes feared it would never end, this early phase of "everything is working, and also, everything is on fire" seems to have come to a close. It's as if all the work leading up to Chapter 4 was the final push into this new season, one of building on a foundation rather than building the foundation itself. And like most people at the end of climbing a mountain, I naively believed arriving at the summit was the goal.

Whether it's having a baby and suddenly realizing parenthood is just beginning, or finally quitting that corporate job to pursue a passion only to realize quitting was the easy part, we all seem to experience this short-sightedness when it comes to the mountaintop moments. It's as if we see our goals like a hike we climb and return back the same way we came, when in reality, life is much more like reaching the top and then continuing down the other side into uncharted territory. 

This month, I've been wrestling with what happens after the mountaintop moments, and I've discovered two unflattering but honest realities…

The first reality is that we will be tempted to long for the life we had before we began the climb. Despite all the magic we have experienced, our past is familiar, safe, and predictable, and our minds will point us back with rose-colored glasses. A mom recently shared with me that it took until her fourth child before she felt herself really settle into motherhood. Life around her had changed, but it wasn't until this baby that she let go of the idea of returning to who she was seven years prior. 

The second reality is that we face two choices when we reach the mountaintop: either we succumb to this temptation to turn back the way we came, or we continue forward into the unknown. This is the point of tension that I've recently found myself in. To begin the journey of painting 100 women in dresses is one thing, but to see it through, to step into leading beyond the foundation is entirely different. And I feel the fear of failure staring me down from the other side of the mountain. However, something I have learned as a follower of Jesus is that truth acts like a light in the dark. It's not always a bright light, but it will be enough for you to take the next step into the unknown. So I started speaking this simple truth over my life: "I have learned new things before, and I can learn new things again." 

You see, our fear of moving forward often stems from the unknown. Although we might have done brave things in the past, the path ahead will almost always remain uncharted. The only way through is to commit to the daily process of discovery. Yes, overturning rocks and wandering down dead ends is inevitably frustrating, and yet, it is in this process of making the unknown known that we discover courage. A lifelong learner is someone who willingly chooses to uncover the other side of the mountain because they believe in something bigger than themselves. 

To my friend looking at the uncharted road ahead and feeling afraid, know I am right there with you. Speak truth over your life, and commit to being a courageous learner. There is magic to be discovered in the learning process, and I don't want either of us to miss it!

Reading next

The Mercy of Rain

Leave a comment

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.