Teachable or Willing to Learn?

For as long as I can remember I've always heard of the importance to be 'willing to learn'.  It is so important to start a new job and be willing to learn.  Or, as a student, be willing to learn from professors and students with backgrounds very different from your own.  Yet, as I continue to grow in age and spirit, I see more and more the higher value of a 'teachable' heart and mind.  What's the difference?

I can remember one Lieutenant from my days on active duty who always insisted she was 'willing to learn'.  Despite her hard attitude, indifference to protocol, and lack of interest in the Airmen around her, she was 'willing to learn'.  What was she 'willing to learn'?  I'm not sure.  My efforts toward counseling and guiding her often led to outbursts of tears or near Mt. Vesuvius-style blowouts.  'Willing to learn'?  Perhaps she was; if only I could have cracked her code and tailored each task, order, and project to her liking.

A stark contrast was a young sergeant struggling significantly in the transition from Airman to non-commissioned officer (NCO).  From the start this sergeant was 'teachable'.  Her heart was geared toward growth.  She stalled because she couldn't do it alone and each of her previous supervisors had left her without a path.  So we began a long steady march intended to help her grow from Airman to NCO.  She blossomed.  For the first time she internalized her role, responsibilities, and took initiative to maximize them.

The difference between 'teachable' and 'willing to learn' is dramatic.  'Teachable' reflects the heart and mind condition.  A heart that is set toward change and growth is teachable, consenting to instruction.  Listen to descriptions of people.  Often the word teachable is used by someone other than the subject.  It is bestowed upon the subject rather than self-proclaimed.  In contrast, 'willing to learn', is often how we describe ourselves when others are not willing to make a parallel reference.  It's an internally focused attitude that says, 'I'll learn if you can teach me in the way I want'.  One who is 'willing to learn' may not be receptive to instruction despite their claim.

The psalmist cries, "Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths.  Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long." Psalm 25:4-5.  It is an active willingness to receive instruction that makes us teachable.  How good is our Lord to not leave us alone to traverse a rocky path?  If we are willing, he will guide us through the path and help our transition.  We must only set our hearts toward Him.

I have a long way to go before I'm where I want to be, but I grow significantly faster when I submit my heart to be teachable, when I recognize I'm often the one in the way of my own learning, and allow the walls and prejudices to come down.  Rather than being willing to learn, I pray for a teachable heart and mind.