Unlearning.

Being uncertain draws us into fellowship with others. Being too certain removes us from them.

~ Phillip Roberto

True simplicity makes us conscious of a certain openness, gentleness, innocence, gaiety, and serenity, which is charming when we see it near to and continually, with pure eyes. Oh, how amiable this simplicity is! Who will give it to me? I leave all for this.

~ Francois Fenelon

So many books, so little time. Kellie and I are life-long students: There is simply so much richness in this world, both seen and unseen, that we are constantly being invited to learn, to imbibe, to wonder, and to grow. Whether or not you ever thought of yourself as a student in the classic sense, we all have different learning styles. The point isn’t to force ourselves into a single learning mode, but simply to keep learning and growing.

Honestly, this is one of the reasons I write—not because I’m so compelled to share what I’ve learned but because the writing is part of the learning. Grappling for words, these precious metaphors that connect my soul with others, helps me continue to turn the musings over in my heart and find greater insight. And to have an actual conversation about ideas is the best! The greatest tragedy, in my view, is to stop growing, learning, and becoming.

Part of the virtue of learning is that it requires a humility of heart—the recognition that there is so much we don’t know… or that we know incompletely. The word “childlike” captures the sort of curiosity and openness that makes a heart teachable.

On the other hand, our world is drawn to the kinds of talk show hosts and preachers who radiate confidence and certainty. How we yearn to be so sure of ourselves, yet God thinks otherwise: “Jesus called over a child, whom he stood in the middle of the room, and said, I’m telling you, once and for all, that unless you return to square one and start over like children, you’re not even going to get a look at the kingdom, let alone get in. Whoever becomes simple and elemental again, like this child, will rank high in God’s kingdom” (Mt 18:4 msg).

Kellie and I have been working for years to grow our own souls in preparation for launching a spiritual formation school, which we will call “SOUL School,” SOUL being short for the School of UnLearning.

“Unlearning? I thought you were talking about the value of learning?”

Maybe you’ve heard the classic story of a young apprentice who comes to an aged monk, eager to grow into a great master himself. The old monk listens to the youngster prattle on about his spiritual aptitude and quietly pours his guest a cup of tea. But instead of stopping when the cup is full, he continues to pour, the tea overflowing the brim and running across the table. Alarmed, the apprentice leaps up, “What are you doing, Master? The cup is full!”

“Indeed it is,” the old man replies. “And so are you. How can I possibly teach you anything when your ‘cup’ is already full?”

In the same way that we must approach scripture with a childlike heart, we must approach everything we think we know about ourselves, about God, and about the world at large with unknowing, with the freedom to unlearn and learn again. Unlearning means two things to me: 1) The freedom to let go of past “certainties” with the confidence that we are secured, not by what we know, but by Who knows us, and 2) the joyful expectation that, the more we learn and become, the more we will transcend everything we thought we once knew.

How great is that!

growing the soul

What is it that you are being invited to unlearn right now… and how is that feeling?

serving the world

How might a heart of humility help us love, engage, and serve the world around us more effectively?

takeaway

Child.Like.