Is Experience Truly The Best Teacher?

There is an adage that experience is the best teacher. With this adage in mind, several especially teenagers and young adults, have been taught to go out and make as many mistakes as possible so they could learn from them. While it is true that making a mistake or failing should not be seen as final but a learning point, it does not mean one should have the mindset of failing always, with the excuse that one will learn from them. Once we fail, it is expected that we should learn the lessons and equally put certain workings in place to help detect and correct such failing before it happens again. These learning are to make us grow and mature in whatever task we are doing or in particular aspects of our lives. We are not expected to make a career out of failing with the excuse that ‘failure is not final’. When infants learn to walk, they fall severally but after awhile their leg and feet muscles become strong and they are able to walk without falling over.

We have to learn to cultivate a mindset that is determined to learn and mature with every experience not a mindset that looks forward to a repeat performance over and over again before it can learn. The belief that one should go out and make as many mistakes as possible in order to learn has swallowed up a lot of wonderful children of God and has turned them to God-hating people. The world system today is filled with people from Bible-Believing backgrounds but their vocations have turned them to be enemies of God. It is true that we are in the world, but as children of God, we must realize that we are not of the world (John 17:14-15). A song writer that understood the above concept once sang: “this world is not my home, I’m just passing through”. Today, as sons of God, we are in danger of treating this world as home if we believe that experience is our best teacher; a teaching that encourages people to fail and fail again because we have a God that gives as many chances as we have need. Esau thought the same (Hebrews 12:16-17), but he thought wrong! Because of the way we are made as humans, we grow and mature daily either physically or mentally depending on your age. This is the reason, we are encouraged to be mindful of such strange teachings from the world: “How happy is the man who does not follow the advice of the wicked, or take the path of sinners, or join a group of mockers! Instead, his delight is in the Lord’s instruction and meditates on it day and night” (Psalm 1:1-2). Friend, circumstances is not the best teacher because if it is, one will be in danger of embracing the ungodly principles handed down by the wicked. Rather God and His word is our Best Teacher. We learn and mature as we are designed to be by applying the lessons of God’s word to every aspect of our lives. That is why we are encouraged to meditate upon His word day and night, not to meditate upon the philosophies of men day and night. Remember, whatever we meditate on in such fashion, dictates our lifestyle. May the Grace of God that has appeared to all men teach, encourage and urge you in the path of righteousness in Jesus Christ name. God bless you.