Joshua Choon-Min Kang is the senior pastor
(Photo : )
Joshua Choon-Min Kang is the senior pastor

The Wisdom of a Person Who Learns Well We all have an instinct in us to grow. Observe young children. Children feel the greatest joy when they grow up. When a child is born and takes his first steps, he experiences incredible joy. When you start to read and write, you will experience an unspeakable pleasure. Growth produces joy. That is why we choose to learn for growth even if it is difficult. Growth is not produced spontaneously. Growth is produced through deliberate choices.

 

Growth is especially achieved through learning. Learning requires choice, determination, and commitment. Sometimes it is hard to learn. However, because we are rewarded greatly with learning, we repeatedly challenge ourselves to learn. Learning is like choosing pain first and enjoying joy later. The important thing about learning is to learn well. First, learn through reading. There are ways in books. There are treasures of knowledge and wisdom in books. More important than having a book is reading a book. If we read a book that someone else has not read, it is like making a difference between the person and us. When reading a book, it is important to read it with a goal. The problem is that we do not know how to set a goal. I've had that experience, as well. The more you have that experience, the more you should read books.

When you read a book, you realize what you did not realize before and start to desire to set a goal to learn more. You also may desire to know more deeply of what you already know. When reading books, it is important to have questions and curiosity. The most powerful motive that I have ever had for reading were questions and curiosity. Especially in 1989, I experienced depression, panic disorder, loss of motivation, loss of appetite, despair, helplessness, and insomnia with spiritual depression. Those were painful times. Spending those painful days, I wondered why this depression came to me and why these worry, anxiety, fear, and asthenia. I read and continued to read books to solve my curiosities. In the meantime, I realized that the human soul, mind and body are all connected. I experienced the connection of the thoughts of my mind, my feelings, and my physical body. Through such process, I began to realize the root cause of my depression. I realized that most of the problems came from thinking.

I realized that they come from my heart. Healing is in understanding. Through understanding I experienced healing. Another question I had was why people were not gathered even though I planted a church. People did not listen to my sermons carefully. I never learned how to set and achieve goals until I planted the church. I have never learned how to move people's minds. I have never studied mind and emotion. I have never learned how to communicate. I have never learned how to accomplish tasks, build and grow a community. I have never learned how to be a leader. The surprising fact is that the answers to my questions and concerns were all contained in books. Especially, in the Bible, the book of books. Second, learn through encounters. Nothing is as precious as an encounter. The most important encounter is that with God. Your encounter with God is important because through your encounter with God you will have other encounters. Especially an encounter with a good teacher or an excellent mentor is the biggest blessing. More important than a good encounter is to learn well through the good encounter. Judas Iscariot met the best teacher, but sadly he did not learn well. 

A good way to learn through good encounters is asking questions, listening and taking notes. When you meet someone outstanding, speak less. Prepare questions and ask honestly about what you have in mind. Ask how he became a great person. Ask who influenced him, and which books influenced him. Ask him how he became successful and how he overcame obstacles. Ask how he broke through. Ask how he stood back up from failures. Ask how to work through problems. Ask how to make excellent choices. It is also important to listen carefully while asking questions. Listening is the way to obtain wisdom. While listening, ask deeper questions. Write down the wisdom, knowledge, and principles you learned as you listen. Notetaking shows that you cherish what you learn. Taking note shows that you respect your teacher. Taking note also means that you will use what you have learned. It also means that you will take it one step further and pass it on to another person. In the next pastorate letter, I will share the wisdom of learning more while teaching others. Blessings.
Joshua Choon-min Kang from Pastorate