How would you finish this sentence, “Learning is…”?

In the book Cross-Cultural Servanthood, Duane Elmer asks the question, “How would you finish this sentence, ‘Learning is…’?”

That’s a good question. In the margin of my book, I wrote, “Learning is what happens to teachable people.” I don’t intend for my answer to be cynical or sarcastic in any way. Rather, it is a reminder to me that I need to remain teachable. I find it very easy to subconsciously arrive at the point that I think I know what is going on in a given situation and how to respond. It’s easy to filter new information through the grid of my previous experience or knowledge and quit learning. One huge reason for this is the fact that in order to remain teachable, I need to remain humble. My flesh always gravitates toward pride and away from humility.

I’m still learning the Portuguese language and culture. At least at this point, my knowledge and skill deficiencies are still glaring to me. But I wonder, if I had a better grasp of the language, would I still be teachable? I hope so. And, I hope that I’m teachable in other areas as well. I want to keep learning. I want to be humble.