Lost Tools of Learning

Please, please read the following article by Dorothy Sayers. It is for everyone who wants to learn--or teach others.

http://www.gbt.org/text/sayers.html

Doing what comes unnaturally...

Sometimes that best thing I can do is make a small, but simple decision NOT to do what comes naturally. A few months ago I decided not to eat sweets when I am by myself. It seemed like a silly thing to make a decision about, and it was really just an experiment in self control, but it has led to interesting results.

I have lost a few pounds, for instance, but I have also lost an annoying compulsion to treat myself with sugar when I am discouraged, tired or bored. I have had numerous meaningful conversations with myself about what I would do instead of eating a cookie or some chocolate and I have had to remember why I made this decision. I have eaten apples or nuts or nothing at all because I decided I didn't really need anything. Obviously, I have stumbled into a healthy habit. It is interesting to note that my regret over not having a treat has lasted only moments, but the satisfaction of practicing self control lasts for days.

Also, these small decisions have given me courage to make bigger decisions. I now know that if I say no to myself in a healthy way I can make it stick. I have learned that it's not so hard to make it through a day without a cookie. The next day it's easier and after a week or so, I hardly think about it at all. Once the decision is made, I just stick with it.

All of this has led to a reverse in my thinking process and I am starting to ADD a few things into my life that I think are worth doing. Just as I chose a few things I will never do, I am choosing a couple of things I hope I will always do. They also come unnaturally to me.

For instance, I plan to make sure that I read my Bible everyday, without excuses. I am a pretty avid Bible reader already, but I want to raise the quality of what I do. I will use my One Year Bible, but I hope I will also find other creative ways to think about the Bible. Maybe I will incorporate it into art projects or home decorating...maybe pictures of this will show up on my blog...don't hold your breath.

I also plan to learn how to pray without ceasing. Fortunately, the Bible (which I read daily!) says unceasing prayer is possible and I am picking up a lot of good hints from people who are way ahead of me on this, so I should be able to overcome my natural lack prayerfulness eventually. I don't expect 100% success in the first 10 years or so, but after that I should be pretty good at it. Meanwhile, I will have spent a lot of good time developing a useful prayer life. It's a good goal so I plan to allow myself plenty of time to succeed at it.

The trick is to be patient and not try to do too much at once. I know I am doing what comes unnaturally, so I am going to give myself grace. I think that there may be temporary discomfort in reminding myelf to do something unnatural that I said I would do, but the benefits will last for years. If I can't pray without ceasing every day, at least my commitment to try means that I will be praying more than I was. If I find it hard to read the One Year Bible everyday, at least my commitment to read the Bible everyday means I will probably read it more than I did before.

Just as I have been surprised by the results of my commitment not to eat sweets alone, I hope I will be surprised by the results of making a commitment to read the Bible and pray more everyday. Little changes can have a pretty cool result. I'll let you all know how it goes.