A pastor I’ve loved and respected for years used to have a saying, “Leaders are readers.” Now I have to admit, this saying drove me crazy. The reason is that I felt like God called me to be a leader but I am not really a reader. And just because I’m not a reader, does that mean I can’t be a leader?
I was sharing these frustrations with my wife years ago and she said, I understand what that saying is getting at, but maybe a better phrase would be, “Leaders are learners.” Yes, I agree with that. I may not be a reader, but I am a learner. I watch, observe, ask questions, and I learn from others. That pastor has actually now adopted Stacy’s wise words as he has changed his saying to, “Leaders are learners.”
And as I have done my best to grow and learn as a leader, I’ve realized that learning isn’t just the job of a leader—it’s the job of every believer. As followers of Christ, we are called to be lifetime learners. I love the way The Message translates Proverbs 18:15: “Wise men and women are always learning, always listening for fresh insights”.
Jesus calls us to be His disciples. And another word for disciple is learner. When we choose to become followers of Jesus, we become His disciples, which means we begin the process of learning what it means to follow Him. As disciples of Jesus, we never stop learning. It doesn’t matter how old we are or what we do in life, we need to continue to learn and grow in the Lord.
Are we growing? Are we seeking to know more? If we think we’ve learned all there is to learn, then we don’t know God. He is bigger than we can fathom. We could spend the rest of our lives reading and asking every question imaginable about Him and still not even come close to learning all there is to learn. May we be people who continue to grow in the Lord and seek to be lifetime learners!
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