Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is 
like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom and continues in it – not forgetting what they have heard but doing it – they will be blessed in what they do.
James 1:22-25
For many of us our work has required us to learn how to operate a machine or instrument, follow a procedure, or understand a new software package. Usually such learning happens through a combination of ‘giving it a go’, observing or being coached by others, studying the manual and reflecting on our mistakes.
In
Experiential Learning, David Kolb classified four different stages of learning and developed a ‘learning cycle’ to describe the process of ongoing development. In many ways, the outline reflects the classic model of disciple-making used by Jesus.
Experience: For the first disciples, the actual fabric of life formed the context for their learning – working, eating, travelling, and relating to each other. Likewise for us in our workplaces, we experience the satisfaction of a job well done, the frustration of delays, the joys and difficulties of working alongside others, the discipline of submitting to authority, and the need to manage our time effectively.
Reflection: Our day by day experiences have the potential to be valuable tutors if we will reflect on them with the help of the Holy Spirit and others.
Study: Through study we make sense of what has happened to us, whether through reading and studying the Bible, seeking the wisdom of others, and praying for insight. ‘Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures’ (Luke 24:45).
Experiment: The cycle of learning is completed when we put the theory into practice – we ‘do what it says’ as James 1:22 puts it. For each of us, the place to do this is on our frontlines. We use our experience of living and working to be the laboratory in which we experiment and practise ‘love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control’ (Galatians 5:22-23).
Our Lent prayer journey, ‘Fit for Life’, focuses on how to develop the fruit of the Spirit in the context of our everyday work. It begins on Ash Wednesday (18 February) and continues until Easter. As with our previous prayer journeys, you will receive a short prompt to pray every morning. There is additional material on the
LICC website and a prayer wall to share your journey with others.
Join with us on this challenging prayer journey!