Life is a Lesson: Are You Willing to Learn It?

Life is filled with ups and downs. It has a way of making us feel elated, and other times, feel like we are in the darkest of pits with no way of escape. Life is a maze of twists and turns, hills and valleys, and at times beautiful views from mountain peaks. What’s more is that life is a lesson to learn, and unless we are open and reflective, we can miss some of the most life changing lessons we were meant to learn.

We tend to struggle against learning. We will sit in darkness and blame anything and everything for why we feel the way we do rather than take the time to sit, reflect, and learn. We try and force ourselves out of the valleys and dark holes we find ourselves in, because it’s uncomfortable and it doesn’t feel good. However, it’s in those times that learning is at its best.

There is always something we can be learning in life. Remember, life is a lesson to learn. In school, we teach students to be life long learners. There is a reason for this. We are never done learning. We will never have it all figured out. There are times when we think we have it figured out, but I guarantee that a valley is coming, and there will be something new that we need to learn.

Pride keeps us from the beautiful lessons that we should be learning. We might think we have it all figured out, or we might think that it’s everyone else’s problem to figure out and not ours. We might think that others are the cause of our pain, frustration, or lack of joy and happiness. In truth, it is our lack of humility and willingness to reflect and learn that keeps us from growing and finding the peace, joy, and happiness that we so long to feel. Until we learn to sit in the darkness, reflect on our life and situation, and seek to understand the lessons we are being taught in life, we will always struggle finding peace in our life.

Learning is uncomfortable because it requires vulnerability. It forces us to admit that we don’t have all the answers and that there is still much we do not understand. We like to take a stand on our ideologies and worldviews. We naturally trust our own reasoning, and often we are right. However, if we aren’t careful, we risk convincing ourselves of truths that actually need to be re-examined. We often become so deadset on being right that we refuse to humble ourselves and ask questions. By choosing pride and ego over learning and growth, we trap ourselves in ignorance. This unwillingness to learn is often the very thing that ruins our relationships.

I offer this encouragement as someone who knows the valleys well, having chosen pride over growth more times than I care to admit. Take it from me: life becomes infinitely richer when you finally sit, reflect, and humble yourself to learn. It is uncomfortable, but the view from the summit is impossible without enduring the climb. Life is about learning, but if we choose pride over humility, we miss the invaluable lessons intended for us. By doing so, we ultimately hinder our growth and forfeit the joy and happiness we were meant to experience.