Learning Like Us
Bible Readings
Take a few minutes to read the Bible verses listed and ask the Holy Spirit to lead you in how this verse applies to you this week.
Memory Verse
Jesus became wise, and he grew strong. God was pleased with him and so were the people. (CEV)
Jamal's ears and face burned with heat, and he wished he was invisible. Everyone was staring at him. What if they thought he was stupid?
Minutes ago, Mr. Cunningham invited him to the board to complete a math problem. Jamal confidently walked to the board, worked the problem, circled his answer, and smiled as he turned around to face the class. His classmates started to snicker, and his confidence was replaced by fear. Then Mr. Cunningham pointed out an error he made and showed the class how to do the problem correctly. Jamal’s fear turned to shame. He forced himself to smile but, in his head, he heard, “You should have known better! How could you have been so dumb? You are never going to be any good at math!” Jamal returned to his seat and attempted to calm his thoughts so he could do his class assignment. Mr. Cunningham knelt beside Jamal’s desk and quietly said, “Jamal, I’m proud of how hard you worked at the problem. You did all the steps except the last one correctly. Thanks for helping me teach the class.”
As Mr. Cunningham moved to the next student, Jamal’s brain recalled part of Sunday’s Bible story. Jesus was twelve once too. When he grew up, people knew him as a carpenter, skills he probably learned from his father, Joseph. Jamal thought to himself, “Jesus had to learn just like I do. If Jesus had to learn, everyone has to learn!” This reminded him of Mr. Cunningham telling the class, “Making mistakes is part of learning. When we make a mistake, we should ask ourselves what we can learn from it.”
Jamal thought about the math problem and what he had learned. As he did this, his shame melted away. He found himself able to focus on his homework and felt more confident he could do it successfully.
Prayer
God, thank you for creating me with the ability to learn. I’m glad Jesus came to the world as a child like me and had to learn just like I do. God, please help me remember that learning is part of being a human being! Give me strength and courage to try things I have never done before. When I make mistakes, help me to learn from those mistakes. I want to grow and learn so I can do good things for you. Amen.Related Resources
Jean Holthaus
Jean Holthaus is a counselor and before that she was a teacher. As a teacher she taught math and science to students in every grade from kindergarten through eighth grade. She likes working with individuals and families to help them solve the problems they are experiencing. She has written two books about anxiety and has two adult children.