Excerpt from Psalm 86

"Teach me your way, Lord, so that I can walk in your truth. Make my heart focused only on honoring your name." (Common English Bible)

Reflection by Anthony B. Robinson

I remember being both surprised and delighted to read the great Protestant Reformer John Calvin's account of his own conversion to Christian faith.

By his conversion, Calvin received, he said, "a teachable spirit." Isn't that a wonderful phrase? What a blessing, a teachable spirit.

Calvin continued, "God by a sudden conversion subdued and brought my mind to a teachable frame which was more hardened in such matters than might have been expected from one at my early period of life." (Not to make a judgment, but Calvin was a law student at the time.)

Conversion to Christ and his way did not mean, as so many today seem to think, gaining possession of the total and complete truth or having all the answers. Quite the opposite. Conversion meant knowing that he did not know. It meant receiving a pliability of spirit in place of a hardened heart.

My own experience of conversion, whether the once-in-a-lifetime or the more frequent variety, is similar. My heart is softened. My spirit stretched. A sense of wonder sweeps over me and through me. I must say, "Thank you." And I get a teachable spirit.

Conversion for Calvin was not an ending or a finished point. It was a beginning, an opening point. Experientially, it is closer to waking after a long sleep. Awake and teachable.

Prayer

Gracious God, grant that today my own spirit would be teachable and that my heart would be receptive. Teach me your way, so that I may walk in your truth. Amen.

About the Author Anthony B. Robinson, a United Church of Christ minister, is a speaker, teacher and writer. His newest book is Stewardship for Vital Congregations, published by The Pilgrim Press. Read his weekly reflections on the current lectionary texts at www.anthonybrobinson.com/ by clicking on Weekly Reading.

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