Learning in the Lord's Way

Last Easter I had my Aunt and Uncle come over for dinner. It was my first time hosting a holiday and I had "adulting" written all over my face. I was mildly stressed, but mostly excited about it. It went off without a hitch, and it was grand. I loved having the opportunity to serve my family in that way to celebrate the Resurrection of our Lord.

After a delightful evening chatting with my dear aunt and uncle, we said our Easter goodbyes and goodnights and sent them on their road home. After the door closed, my husband and I had a nice discussion about how much we admire my uncle for his vast knowledge and experience. There are some people who seem to soak in information like a sponge and my Uncle Bill is one of them. I would consider him an expert on everything from flight and physics, to real estate and investing to interpersonal relationships, pedagogical method and scriptural studies. The man truly knows how to learn.

We decided that the next time we saw Bill we would ask him how he spends his time. How does he decide what to do when he finds a free hour? What sort of books does he read? We just wanted to be more like him.

Nothing could have warned me or prepared me for the fact that Easter was the last time I would see my dear Uncle Bill in this life. His sudden passing just a few weeks later was a shock to everyone. I never had the chance to sit down and ask him how he learned to learn. I wish I had just called and asked him the very next day, but I didn't. Instead, he took that mystery with him to the grave.

Or so I thought.

I had a particularly hard time grieving Bill. I didn't realize just how much of an impact this giant of a man had made on my life. I was surprised to find that I thought about it and the things he had taught me EVERY SINGLE DAY. It speaks worlds that I usually only saw him about once a month, but I lived and applied things from him every day.  I still can't butter my toast in the morning without smiling about his tableside lectures on radiant heating(always remember to keep the toast pieces together so they warm each other to melt the butter). I was surprised by how I reacted to his passing, given that I didn't see him that frequently anyway.

After a few months of daily grieving, particularly regretting that I never told him how I admired his intellect and inquired about modeling mine after it, I had an epiphany. I may not be able to ask Bill about his learning strategies, but there is another teacher out there who knew the answers and could tailor them just to me. A Teacher so inspired and so invested that He would do anything for me. A Teacher who is my Eternal Heavenly Parent.

Suddenly James 1:5 meant something more to me.

"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him."

 I was in mourning not just for my Uncle Bill, but also for the lack of wisdom his passing represented. So I prayed for wisdom. In particular I prayed for the wisdom to know how to spend my time that I might more fully become a master of many things. The answer was simple:

"Ask me how to spend your time, and I will show you the best way."

It was that simple. From that time forward I made it a point to stop to say a prayer to Heavenly Father pleading to know the BEST way to spend my time, particularly when I get a quiet moment to myself uninterrupted by my kids. Since that time I've begun cultivating new talents(piano), revived old ones (singing), and enlarged my skills in many areas(woodworking, sewing, housekeeping, keeping in touch with family, family history, etc...). I've found that I truly DO have the time to help and love and serve others. I was led to the inclusion of audiobooks in my life(my eyes are so much happier). I've discovered that there are times that my sanity and health really do require an evening of rest(tv and facebook aren't evil, they just shouldn't be our first resort).

Now, I really have no idea if my Uncle consistently prayed about how to spend his free time. My guess is that, as any natural man, his decision-making on that subject was at the mercy of all sorts of varying motives and desires. But I do know that he spent his time doing not just being. And that's where our best education in the Lord's University of Life comes from--it comes from action.

Today it's been a year since my Uncle Bill went to share his knowledge with those in Heaven, including his dear parents. He might have passed on to the next stage, but he's still near to my heart and I love him dearly for all that he's taught me. I wish I could hear another airplane story (even if it's one I'd heard before), but as that's not Heavenly Father's plan, I'll just have to express my gratitude for Bill's willingness to be a beacon of light in my life. I'm so grateful for him and all he's taught me.

I love you forever, Uncle Bill.