Why Do We Have to Learn the Same Lessons Over and Over Again?

Why haven't I nailed this yet?

I thought it was a good question. I was in the midst of many trials. But I was grateful. Grateful that I have a wonderful husband to help shoulder the burdens. "Two are better than one..." (Ecclesiastes 4:9). It was proving to be more true as the hard days wore on.

Most of the time, it felt like we were walking through fire. We were dealing with the insurance company over an accident I didn't cause and even tried to avoid. We were dealing with family drama. My husband was trying to sell an app to his company and under a lot of stress. And I was struggling to do that which God had laid on my heart: to be a good wife. On top of that, I was also trying to love people well. And I was failing miserably.

I was driving home after teaching a class that tried my patience and made me doubt my teaching abilities. I was talking to God, telling him I had lost the desire to love people well.

I just don't love people like I used to. I don't have a love for people like I want to--like I know you want me to have. How do I change this?

At that exact moment, a deer stood along the road, staring at me as I passed by. I looked in my rear view mirror and saw several cars behind me. 

Lord, please keep this deer off the highway. Don't let it dart in front of those people behind me.

I watched in my rear view mirror as the deer turned and headed back into the wooded area it had emerged from minutes earlier.

That's when God gently reminded me that my love for people was still intact; it just wasn't a priority like it used to be.

"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." (2 Corinthians 12:9)

Why do I have to learn the same lessons over and over again? Because the lessons are hard. And God's aware of that. He knows we won't always have these lessons nailed down. From time-to-time, a lack of sleep, busyness and the many tasks God has handed us will try our patience.

If you feel like you're failing today, don't fret. Sometimes, we have to re-learn the lessons so we can be solidified in our faith that God's mercy, grace and love truly are endless.