A few years ago, before I knew better, I got into an argument with someone over something that they’d taught publicly in a church setting. In the height of their exhortation and teaching, they exclaimed, “you got to go through it yourself to learn it!” Whew! While everyone else was “Amen”-ing and clapping, I sat in silence on that one statement. While there were many, many valid practical things the minister shared that night, that one thing caught my attention and consumed all of my focus for the rest of the weekend. Is it a reality that the only way that I can learn in life is that I have to experience the test myself? Can I learn from the mistakes of others? What about watching someone else fall in a ditch and not repeating that same mistake? What does the Bible have to say about all of this? Is life’s best teacher our own experiences?
So, with all of these questions (and more) swirling around in my head, I did the only logical thing to do next. I opened my Bible software and went on a diligent study to see what God would say about this.
In my study, I came across 1 Corinthians 10: 11-12. The Message Translation shares, “These are all warning markers—danger!—in our history books, written down so that we don't repeat their mistakes. Our positions in the story are parallel—they at the beginning, we at the end—and we are just as capable of messing it up as they were. Don't be so naive and self-confident. You're not exempt. You could fall flat on your face as easily as anyone else. Forget about self-confidence; it's useless. Cultivate God-confidence.”
As Paul is providing instruction to the Corinthian church, he shares with them that God’s instructions have been written down to serve as examples of what has happened in the past. It has been written to show us historically the great and not so great decisions of others before us. This clears it up plainly. The best wisdom in life is to not always have to endure personal pain because of private decisions from precarious predicaments. Rather, sometimes the best wisdom in life comes from the clear observation and critical thought of other’s mistakes and learning how to apply those life lessons to your own personal journey. In other words, if someone else goes to jail, I should be able to evaluate my own decision making and even have a clear enough vision of my own life to determine that the new inmate’s decision making is not something that I want to repeat. A person who exhibits bad behavior on a job that finally catches up with them ought to serve as a wonderful pattern of what NOT to do.
In most cases, this seems pretty simple. But in many settings as followers of Christ, we seem to think that we are not as legit as other followers if we don’t have a “rags to riches” testimony, experience, or even the idea that God has to pick us up out of a miry pit in order to be validated as an authentic follower of Christ. All of this is contrary to God’s Word and Will. Sometimes the most powerful testimony that a tried and true follower of Christ can have is that they were wise enough to observe the lives of others and determine what God’s will is from that. My testimony of wise decision making is just as powerful as the person whom God almost had to resurrect.
Although I should have never gotten into an argument and debate with them over God’s Word, the basis of my point was true. Experience is not always the best teacher.
This American idiom speaks to the idea that you can only really learn the value of something if you experience it directly. It assumes that learning from the experience of others, both the good and the bad, is not a valid method of learning and applying that new knowledge. Today commit yourself to being keenly aware of others’ decision making patterns so that they can serve as an unofficial rule book of how to excel in all areas of life. That’s wisdom from God.
Scripture of the Day: "These are all warning markers—danger!—in our history books, written down so that we don't repeat their mistakes. Our positions in the story are parallel—they at the beginning, we at the end—and we are just as capable of messing it up as they were. Don't be so naive and self-confident. You're not exempt. You could fall flat on your face as easily as anyone else. Forget about self-confidence; it's useless. Cultivate God-confidence." - 1 Corinthians 10:11-12
Christopher J. Harris, a native of Palatka, FL, is Chief of Staff/Director of Church Operations of the historic mega-church Fellowship Church of Chicago. He is also Overseer of Youth for Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship International. Harris currently resides in Chicago with his wife and children. http://www.ChristopherJHarris.com… 
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