Many times there is more value placed on an old vase, table, chair or old clothes than on the mighty inheritance of the word of GOD that we received. This is priceless.
The hardest thing in life for a human being to do is to UNLEARN the wrong way and learn the right way. If you begin wrong and go very far then unlearning can be an extreme challenge.
I have been very blessed in my life to have wonderful teachers. When I was in the first, second and third grades I had the same teacher. My parents said she was a nice young woman. My dad would go by the school to see how I was doing. This was probably checking my behavior more than what I was learning. He was always told this, “Sylvia is a nice little girl and well behaved and she is doing just fine.” This made my parents happy.
I then went on to the fourth grade at a different school and we rode the school bus to and from school. One day my teacher brought me home in her car. She wanted to have a talk with my mother and father. OOPS! Well it turned out to be a really good thing that she did. I don’t know if they are allowed to do this
anymore. If not it would be a real shame.
She had taken notice that when I turned in a math paper that addition and other math problems were always correct.
The subtraction problems were always incorrect. Not one was ever right. She had me work on the subtraction to see what I was doing with it. I was subtracting from the left side of the problem. Take my word for it this was not a stroke of genius. This should have been noticed long before it was.
She told my mother that they would have a long road ahead to correct this old error. It did and they both
worked with me and I overcame this wrong way of subtracting. It took months and without this intervention I would have failed. Even today I will stop and think before subtracting anything. It had become ingrained that quickly in my young mind. It took up so much time too unlearn the way I was doing this and relearn the correct way.
You would have thought that the teacher could say, “don’t do it that way but do it this way” and that would have corrected the problem. So many times in this day that is how it is done. Tell the child to stop and do it the right way. Many time they do not receive any help with the problem and still figure it on their own. Then they are put in the slow class or told they are slow learners. I wonder how many children would not be put in the slow learner class by having a teachers over see their work.
The human mind does not work that way. We have a memory that does not want to let go of anything. I will be reading the Bible and find myself reading what I’ve always heard instead of what it actually said. This is hard to change. So please if you need to unlearn something work hard to do it. Just like spending my life with the wrong method of subtracting would have been chaos but the old errors that hang on too in the Bible is far worse because getting this right is for our eternal life.
Just as my first teacher said, “oh she is doing fine” so will the preachers tell you, “you are doing great
just keep reading and listening.” They won’t have time to work with you to get it right.
Yes it is hard to undo the errors of the human mind but it can be done. I am living proof. I was blessed with many good teachers in school and especially blessed with my Bible Teachers. He was my Bible teacher first and most importantly for my soul sake.
Thank the LORD for our teachers that instead of saying this child is dumb but would notice that if I had addition correct then it must be something that was being done wrong to cause the error and not just a child who could not learn. Let us each one give this same respect to those who study the Bible. Don’t argue but explain even over and over if necessary. Be helpful and do not have a superior attitude. What if it were you? How would you want to be treated whether it is school or the bible? We have a Commandment on this. Can you tell me which comandment it is?
May the LORD give us all the truth and help to unlearn old errors.
Your Minister of Helps
Sylvia Kolenda
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