Then Do Better
“Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.” ~ Maya Angelou
One thing is for certain: we will never know everything. We are always learning. The day that we think we know it all and stop trying to learn is the day that we set ourselves up for a major fall. There is always more out there that needs to be learned, that needs to be discovered.
We are encouraged to learn from birth. You’ve seen all sorts of toys for babies and young children on television and in the homes of friends who have children. A lot of work went into the development of them. They are not toys. Oh, no. Far from it. In the eyes of their developers, they are “learning instruments.”
Those toys were constructed to teach children many things: shapes, colors, animals, sounds, how to read, how to count, and the like. They help children get in touch with and learn about the world around them so that, when they are older and rise from hands and knees to their own two feet, they are armed with some basic information that will help them navigate their world and may even contribute to keeping them safe.
Angelou reminds us that we should always set our sight on learning because, when we do, it helps us to do better. What is true in our physical realm is also true in our spiritual realm. Some people are content with a basic understanding of the faith. However, the faith prompts us to be fully involved with the world, bringing the Lord to all we meet. How can we bring the Lord to others if we do not understand who He is and what He wants of us?
We need to work on our relationship with the Lord. Our prayer life should be richer each day, our gratitude to God should be deeper each day, and our service to God and neighbor should increase each day. None of that will happen, though, if we allow ourselves to get stuck in “basic mode”.
FAITH ACTION: Strive to know as much as possible so that you can do as much as possible.