Learning involves pain. Here’s how: A friend dies. You know him to be a good man who would do anything to help another person. The only problem is that he had no place in his life for Christ. He saw no need for religion. You also know that you never made a genuine effort to talk to him about Christ. To deal with the pain (the loss of a friend and the likelihood that he will spend eternity in hell because you never acted), you reconsider what you believe about Jesus being the only way to the Father. You may think of Jesus as being “the best way” or “a way” with the hope that your friend found “another way.” When the topic comes up in a study, you disengage or count it as another person’s opinion. In situations like these, we often stop looking for the truth because pain comes along with discovering the truth.
Most of us try to avoid pain at all costs. However, some pain is required if we desire to get better. If we sustain an injury, enduring the pain of physical therapy will pay off in the long run. When it comes to learning, we attempt to avoid pain as well, but we must endure in order to get better. If we interpret our experiences through the Truth (found in Jesus and God’s Word), we will experience pain. God is ready to heal us, but the cleaning of a wound can only happen when that wound is open.
As Bible study leaders, we have the opportunity to challenge people to discover the Truth and interpret their experiences in light of that Truth. We must do more than tell them what we discover. We must show them how to discover for themselves. We, too, will experience pain, but doing so is the only way we find healing and help others become whole as well.