Learning Can Be Messy
Instruct the wise and they will be wiser still; teach the righteous and they will add to their learning. Proverbs 9:9 (NIV)
When my sister, Barbara, was in nursing school many years ago, the students had to learn to draw blood. Her instructor took one look at my arm and offered to pay me to be their living pin cushion. It went well but my arm was bruised and sore for a long time. I did not faint; nor did I cry. The students all passed. Here is a devotion from Becky Alexander who shares a similar kind of story (Mornings with Jesus).
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I’ve experienced the casting process for a prosthetic arm numerous times in my life, yet never six times in one day. Alabama State University needed a patient model with upper extremity limb loss. Being born without a left elbow, forearm, and hand, I allowed prosthetics students to practice making arms for me.
The first student covered my torso and legs with plastic to protect my clothes. He slipped a tight, cotton sleeve over my upper arm and secured it with a chest strap. Then, he dipped some plaster bandaging in warm water and wrapped it around my arm and shoulder. As the plaster dried, he applied pressure to ensure a snug fit. After ten minutes, he wiggled the cast from the cotton sleeve and pulled it off.
Each student repeated the steps, and by the sixth one, plaster speckled my shirt, pants, shoes, and hair. I also discovered a few spots on my face. But I extended grace to the young men and women because they were learning—learning can be messy. I knew someday they’d become skilled prosthetists, helping patients like me.
In the same way, Jesus offers me grace while I am learning—and I am always learning, I know I won’t ever fully grasp the lessons in His rich Word. I expect I’ll make a mess of things occasionally, even though my intentions are good. Grace gives me a chance to clean up today’s messes and try again. With practice, like those prosthetics students, I’ll eventually get better too.
Faith Step: Have you unintentionally caused a mess recently? Thank Jesus for His grace as you learn and plan your do-over.