Oswald Chambers wrote, “It is not true to say that God wants to teach us something in our trials. Through every cloud He brings our way, He wants us to unlearn something.”
Most of us grew up in a family culture that provided us with norms for getting along in the world. Our parents tried to instill behaviors they deemed appropriate, as well as ones that society might embrace. We learned to cooperate, to compromise, and to do our best to get along with one another. We also learned things that might actually hinder our growth or keep us from striving to move forward. Those are things we may attribute to the folk wisdom of our surroundings. The problem is the beliefs I grew up with may be very different from the ones you grew up with. Perhaps neither of us can claim right or wrong in what we learned, but we may recognize today that some of those beliefs did not serve us well.
As your heavenly parent, God also tries to demonstrate behaviors and beliefs that will help you move closer to Him. God calls it “pruning” when He has to shape our direction in life. Chambers calls it unlearning. We call it trials or tests, which generally come with a negative spin about our situations. So, consider this. What if we’re getting it all wrong? What if God is not actually trying to wear us down, put us through the wringer, and deplete our strength until we cry “Uncle?” What if instead, He is working to change the way we think? He wants to give us a new perspective because old habits die hard and so He has to help us discover the error of our thoughts and beliefs. Perhaps we need to reconsider the judgments we make about people who are different from ourselves in economic status, creed, or race. Perhaps God wants is to unlearn the cliches that simply make it hard to love your neighbor as yourself.
Is it possible, there’s more for us to learn? Maybe we need to let go of those things that keep us from seeing God’s hand at work, right now, today. Perhaps we need some new definitions, some new beliefs, and some new markers to help us build trust in God and in one another. Sure, it’s a lot to consider. You may have a lot to unlearn, but even if you let go of just one dated, worn-out, overused belief, and replace it with one that is holy, and wholly filled with love, that one thing could catapult you into the very place God wants you to be. God sees you right where you are, and as the saying goes, “He loves you too much to leave you there.” His pruning technique may be uncomfortable, but it’s sure to help you grow into the mature and beautiful person He designed you to be.
God makes things new every morning. You can be sure He has new things for you to learn right now.