Category: Learning as we go

Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. Against such things there is no law.

This blog week we have been talking about the various ways that we learn & grow. I mentioned on Monday that each morning when we wake up and our feet hit the floor, we are walking into the classroom of life. In the “classroom” our teacher, the Lord  teaches us through the many things that we experience throughout our day.

One way we learn from him is through the Holy Spirit, which gently nudges us to do or refrain from doing certain things. Another way we learn is through people. We have the opportunity to learn through the things they do, say &/or know. Today I want to talk to you about the third way we learn, and that is through our emotions .

In Galatians 5:22-23 we are told about the fruits of the spirit being love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. Now, I don’t know about you, but I , on many occasions have fallen short of these things towards myself and others. Not only have I felt unloved, sad, and stressed, but I have been unkind and harsh to people around me. So, why is it that I sometimes feel these negative emotions; although, I am told of the more positive ones that are within me?

Well, while I believe that it is normal to feel the less than positive emotions that I sometimes feel, I also believe that they are an indicator of work that needs to be done within me. In other words, there is something that the Lord is trying to teach me as a result of these emotions. The problem is we often fail to see the lesson in them because we are too busy blaming our circumstance or others for them. We say things like, “he makes me feel……” or “that made me feel….”. The truth is neither is true. “He” nor “it” can make us feel any certain way.

If we can learn to look within ourselves when these emotions inevitably occur, we will see that they have nothing to do with anyone else, but everything to do with what is in our own hearts. Does this make any since to you? I sure hope so, because it makes total since to me. The point is, there is a lesson to be learned through the negative emotions that we sometimes feel; however, we must be open to it. The question is, are you open to it?

On that note, I hope you guys have a wonderful weekend. I will see you here on Monday morning, and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/thefaithfilledtraveler/ , until then . Be sure to take some time to rest, and to enjoy the ones that you love! Take care!

Warmest regards,

Salina Watson

Luke 6:31 Do to others as you would have them do to you.

On Monday I spoke about the life that we live being a classroom. How each morning when we wake up and our feet hit the floor, we are walking into the classroom of life where the Lord is teaching us various things throughout the day. Yesterday we spoke about one of the ways he does that, and that is through the Holy Spirit. We may mistake it for intuition or disregard it all together, but it’s that little thought or whisper that we have about something that we should or should not do.

Today, I want to share another way that I believe he teaches us, and that is through others. From the things that we see other people do to the conversations that we have with them, I truly believe that he uses people to teach us. Now, the things that we can learn from others can be taught both advertently and inadvertently.

For instance, if a friend or an acquaintance has been through something in his or her past that they struggled with and overcame, and you are currently faced with the same situation, they may be able to help you by sharing their experience with you. An example of this could be debt. If someone you knew managed to pay off a large sum of debt and you are currently in the same boat as they once were, they could teach you the steps they took to become debt free, resulting in you doing the same.

Another way he teaches us through people is by their actions. If you see someone handling a particular situation in a way that you admire, you may learn from them and handle that same situation or one similar the same way the next time you are faced with it. On the other hand, you could see someone treating another individual or maybe even yourself in a less than favorable way, and learn from that, too. For the word says- Do to others as you would have them do to you.

Now, I realize that there are many ways that we can learn from others that I have not touched on here, but I hope you get my point. On any given day, we come in contact with all sorts of people from all walks of life. I believe that every one of them has something to teach us, as we do them. Maybe it’s something that is said. Perhaps, something that is done. Or, maybe just something about them that catches our attention. Regardless, keep your eyes, ears and hearts open to the possibility of learning from them. And, be on the lookout for ways that you can teach them, too. But remember, they are learning from you whether you are intentionally teaching them or inadvertently doing so.

With that said, can you think of something that you have learned from someone in the past week while in conversation with them? Is there something that an individual may have done that you learned from? If so, I want to hear about it. Comment below or forward me an email. Perhaps I can learn from it, too!

Thank you guys for being with me this Wednesday morning! I will see you tomorrow as we wrap up this blog week, and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/thefaithfilledtraveler/ , until then. Take care!

Warmest regards,

Salina Watson

John 14:26 But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative, that is, the Holy Spirit, he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.

Hi, there! Good Tuesday morning to you. Let’s jump right in, shall we? As I touched on yesterday, this week we will be focusing on learning as it relates to our experiences in this life. I believe that each day when we wake up and get moving, we enter the “classroom of life” where the Lord teaches us a ton of new things in various ways throughout the day. By learning and growing we ultimately evolve into the people we were created to be. I referred to Psalm 32:9- I will instruct you and teach you in the way that you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.

Today I want to talk about one of the ways that he teaches us, and that is through the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Now, if you’re like I once was, and sometimes still am, you may mistake this guidance for your own intuition or you may disregard it all together. But I do believe that he sends little messages or “nudges” , if you will, to us all day long to teach, guide & direct us.

An example of this for me would be when my body needs rest. By nature, I am the type of person that will go 16 (+) hours a day nonstop for days at a time without thinking twice about it. Although I feel tired and my mind a little cloudy, I will push through. Now, I know this is not good for me and that I need rest, but hey, I’m Super Woman, or so I sometimes think. After a while of doing this, my body just stops. It’s like a car that runs out of gas on the side of the road. It cannot go anymore. This generally happens twice a year, and results in me getting a cold and being in bed for a few days. See, when you don’t listen to and learn from the little nudges along the way, he stops you dead in your tracks. The good news is, at 44 years of age, I’m finally learning to REST! ;0)

What about when your eating a meal and it doesn’t agree with you? That’s a nudge. What about when you have a thought of calling a friend or visiting a neighbor? That’s a nudge. What about that knowing you shouldn’t do something that could be harmful to you? That too is a nudge. He is trying to teach us to refrain from eating that meal, to pick up the phone, to walk over , to keep from doing things that are not good for us. These nudges are opportunities to learn and grow. But, we must take the initiative to do so. Otherwise, they will likely be forced upon us over time and have results that we will not necessarily care for.

Alright guys, there we are for this Tuesday morning, but I want to hear from you. Is there something that the Lord has been trying to teach you in such a way? If so, leave me a comment or send me an email. Otherwise, I’ll plan on seeing you on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/thefaithfilledtraveler/  later today, and right back here bright and early tomorrow morning!

Warmest regards,

Salina Watson

 

Psalm 32:8- I will instruct you and teach you in the way that you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.

 

Happy Monday, my friends. Welcome. I am so excited to start another blog week with you all! I hope that you are rested and refreshed from a couple of days off, and that you are fueled up for the week ahead. I mean you are glad that it is Monday, right? You couldn’t use another day off, could you? Why in the world would anyone want a 3 day weekend?! On that note, time is ticking. I’m sure you have things to do! Lets jump in….

This week we are going to focus our attention to learning. When I say learning, I don’t mean sitting in a formal classroom type of learning. I am talking about learning through life experiences. You know, hands on learning. I believe that each day when we wake up and our feet hit the floor, we are walking into the classroom of life. Figuratively speaking, of course.

In the “classroom” each of us are students learning from our teacher…our professor, The Creator of The Universe. From the people that we meet to the places that we go to the things that we encounter, I believe all of it is being used by The Lord to teach and direct us on our journey. In the process of teaching us new things and learning from them we ultimately grow into the people that he created us to be. Little by little we are evolving. It’s a beautiful thing, my friends. Embrace it!

With that said, I don’t know that we fully understand the process. The whole process of learning. I say that because we often get frustrated, discouraged and upset about the things that are going on in our lives. Better yet, we get frustrated, discouraged and upset with the people in our lives. Now, I know that it is natural for us to do so, but I believe that those things are occurring so that we can learn from them.

I’ve once heard Tony Robbins ask the question, ” What if life isn’t happening to you, but happening for you?” This question has stuck with me since I first heard it, and I often find it playing in my head when I am faced with certain situations. The word says in Jeremiah 29:11- ” I know the plans I have for you, ” says the Lord, ”  ” plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.” This leads me to think that there is something about the question that Tony Robbins ask that we should consider.

For the next 3 days we are going to talk about how we have the potential to learn and grow from all things in this life. My goal is for you to reevaluate your perspective on them. I believe that you might just find that there is good to be found in the not so good, and great to be found in the good. Let’s see where we end up between now and Thursday. In the mean time, I’ll see you on Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/thefaithfilledtraveler/ this afternoon and back here tomorrow morning. Take care!

Warmest regards,

Salina Watson