I love teaching the Gospel, but there have been lessons for me to learn as well.  In my heart, when I have taught others, I have always had an urgency to hurry.  In the back of my mind the urgency came from fear that something would happen to them, and they would never come to a knowledge of the Truth.  I relied on myself in the place of relying on God.  He never failed in allowing me time to teach them.  I have learned to stop depending on myself, trust in Him, slow down, and teach in a better way.

“The Lord is my strength and my shield;  my heart trusted in Him, and I am helped:  therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth and with my song will I praise Him.”     Psalms 28:7

“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart;  and lean not unto thine own understanding.  In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.  Be not wise in thine own eyes:  fear the Lord,and depart from evil.”       Proverbs 3:5-7

After having read a number of Biblical articles, heard sermons on the topic of patience, I have learned to slow down. People can only absorb so much.  My friend is one example of that teaching.  He was a Methodist for over 80 years.  He didn’t know Truth, and even when I was teaching him, I always had the urgency that he learn everything at one time, but quickly found he couldn’t take in that much information.  My elder admonished me about that.  He was right, so I slowed down, and learned to have an understanding of the one that I was teaching.  After his baptism I have continued to teach him.  There are times I am amazed at his growth in Christ, and his learning not only fundamentals, but he is gaining more understanding of Scripture and teaching.  Small steps in the right direction.

“As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the Word, that ye may grow thereby:  If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.”   I Peter 2:2-3

“For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first oracles of God;  and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.  For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the Word of righteousness:  for he is a babe.”   Hebrews 5:12-13

I learned after having read an article about teaching, that our attention span is about 45 minutes and then a 15 minute break.  The 15 minute break, according to the article, was the time that it took for the brain to absorb the information and process it.  The reason most schools of learning have hour long classes.

Many times, after we teach the Truth, and the person becomes a Christian, we leave them.  We wouldn’t do an infant that way, expecting the child to walk.  A newborn Christian is just like that infant.  They need milk before they can walk. We must continue to teach them the “milk of the Word” that they may grow.  They need great encouragement, patience, and understanding as they grow in Him.  It takes time, and then as they grow, just as in children, meat can be introduced.

“But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.”     Hebrews 5:14

“But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.”
James 1:4

Patience has been the hardest lesson for me to learn, and there is “more to life than increasing the speed.”

“We need a patient heart that listens . . . and gentle hands that lead.”

Eileen Light