Discipleship and Learning -2
Discipleship and Learning (1)
Last week we spoke about discipleship and learning, and we mentioned several types of it: discipleship and learning through guidance and advice, discipleship and learning through life, and through books. Today I want to speak to you about another kind of discipleship — discipleship and learning from nature, and discipleship and learning from events.
In fact, nature can give a person many lessons. For the Holy Bible says: “The heavens declare the glory of God; the firmament shows the work of His hands.”
A person can listen to the speech of the heavens and the firmament and learn a lesson. At the very least, nature moves in a marvelous, flawless order — and from this we can learn the lesson of order. Imagine the earth in its rotation, and likewise the moon — both revolve in precise order, not deviating for even a moment. People, from observing this order, can predict what will happen in nature: light and darkness, cold and heat, winter and summer. This gives us a lesson in order.
Also, nature in its work carries out the will of another — in wondrous submission and obedience — the obedience of God, whom we address in our prayer saying: “Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”
Nature, in its work, fulfills the will and purpose of God. The heavens, planets, stars, suns, and the innumerable heavenly bodies all execute God’s will — while man is the only being, after Satan, who seeks his own will and disobeys God’s!
We can also learn from the order of nature the lesson of movement and stillness. The earth, for example, has been rotating on its axis for thousands of years without ever stopping — and so do the moon and the stars, each revolving in its own orbit. It is amazing that the earth rotates on its own axis while also revolving around the sun in precise motion, without disturbance or interruption!
Would that man might take a lesson from nature — in movement, activity, and not ceasing from work!
And one may say that the mountains are motionless and still — yet even the mountains and other things give us lessons in steadfastness, endurance, and silence!
Thus, we can take from nature countless lessons.
Notice also that nature, in all its work, acts for the sake of others, not for itself — something rare to find in mankind. It is a lesson indeed: the moon shines for others while it is itself dark; the rain falls so that plants may drink and humans benefit; the stars and planets give light to us. All of nature works for the good of others!
We can take from nature marvelous spiritual lessons, such as teamwork. The elements of nature work together harmoniously for a single purpose — “heat,” “pressure,” and “rain.” The earth warms by the sun’s heat, heating the surrounding air; it becomes light, rises, winds blow, vapor gathers, rain falls, and the crops are watered — a wonderful cooperative work where each plays its role!
Nature does the same within the human body. When one eats, every organ moves to play its role in digestion until food becomes blood and tissue. Teamwork surrounds us in nature — while man often does not know how to work together!
Another virtue of nature is that it performs its duty without consulting others or seeking their approval — something rare in mankind. The rain, for example, performs its task faithfully without caring whether people like it or not. The sun, too, fulfills its duty, rising and setting at its appointed time, indifferent to whether people complain of its summer heat or enjoy its winter warmth.
From nature we can also learn wisdom. I once stood contemplating a tree and saw how wise it was! I noticed that it sheds its leaves in winter and grows them in summer — in winter, to allow sunlight to reach people, and in summer, to provide shade.
God has worked wonders in nature, and the more we contemplate it, the more lessons we find: lessons in order, wisdom, obedience, endurance, and teamwork, along with many other partial lessons. For example, from the root of a tree we learn self-denial and the hiding of virtues — the root bears the trunk, branches, leaves, and fruit, and provides nourishment — yet remains hidden underground, unseen, fulfilling its task faithfully in secret!
People like to be the fruit, the trunk, or the branches — no one likes to be the root, for everyone seeks to appear!
There are countless other lessons we can learn from nature — all requiring contemplation.
I recall that when I was first entrusted with teaching at the Theological College, the first lesson I taught was about the spiritual lessons we learn from the River Nile. I drew a map of the Nile and said that its origin is only drops of rain that fell from the sky and formed this mighty river. This means that every great work begins with a single point, and every long journey begins with a single step.
Those drops fell upon the mountains of Ethiopia and carved for themselves a path. How could a weak drop of water carve its way through rock? That teaches perseverance and constancy — to continue without stopping. It also teaches that we should not fear difficulties, for even a drop of water can make its way through stone!
The Nile’s journey from the heart of Africa took thousands of years — all the while carving its way until it reached the Mediterranean Sea.
Take, my brother, a lesson from the Nile: deepen yourself day by day, year by year, until you carve your path and make your channel — be patient and deepen it until you are established!
Another lesson from the Nile: its reddish, muddy waters — you refuse to drink them, yet the earth welcomes them as fertile and full of goodness. Thus, do not despise even what seems unfit for you — for it may be good for another!
You can learn from anything — the important thing is you: do you love and desire to learn and benefit? If you do, you will find benefit in everything; if not, lessons will pass before you unnoticed.
There are things whose benefit is hidden. A wise man once said, “I learned silence from the parrot.” They asked, “How?” He said, “Because the more the parrot speaks, the more I realize silence is better.”
Thus you can learn silence from both the silent and the talkative; you can learn from a thing and from its opposite.
One who truly wants to be a disciple and to learn can learn even from animals and insects. Therefore, the Lord Jesus said, “Be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.” And Scripture says, “Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways and be wise. She prepares her food in summer and gathers her provision in harvest.” The ant is always active, never lazy or idle. Likewise, the bee teaches us diligence and marvelous order — its organized kingdom is astounding! Even human workers sometimes cannot reach the bees’ level of order.
As the poet Ahmed Shawqi wrote about bees:
A well-ordered kingdom,
Its workers bear wondrous labor,
Governed by a queen,
And beneath her rule a disciplined realm!
We can also learn from the birds. The Lord Jesus said: “Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?”
Once, in the monastery garden, I saw sparrows before plenty of wheat. Each took only one grain and flew away — though much was before them! They do not know hoarding; that is the human way, seeking abundance, barns, and treasures. The sparrow is not like that. The birds trust that they will find their food wherever they go.
When we see birds singing, we are amazed. Have you ever seen a human being singing joyfully all his life like the birds? They sing though always exposed to traps and hunters, though they own neither house nor nest — yet they sing, carefree, without worry. Who among us has reached the faith of a sparrow?
We humans — who have discovered the atom, inventions, the moon, and space — have we reached the faith or contentment of a sparrow? Or its continual joy and gladness? Yet we boast that we are the “head of creation,” the most perfect being. But where are we compared to the sparrow who sees all as belonging to God?
Indeed, we can learn from birds and from everything. Whoever wishes to learn will find lessons in all things. The Lord Jesus said: “Consider the lilies of the field; even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.”
Everything around us is wondrous — but we are the ones who do not want to learn.
When God created Adam and placed him in Paradise, He put him in a place full of lessons — but Adam did not benefit. He said, “I am the head of creation; I will rule over all,” and he began to dominate instead of to learn.
If we truly want to learn, we can learn from everything. For example, in church you can learn from the candle how it melts to give light to others — a lesson in being a light yourself.
You can also learn from the icons, and from the incense how it burns to give a sweet aroma — a symbol of wondrous self-giving.
You learn from incense that rises upward how to ascend and grow spiritually, always striving higher toward heaven. The lives of the saints were like incense — and incense becomes incense only by fire. So if “fire” comes to you, do not be troubled, but say: “Let me be the fragrance of incense, a sweet aroma!”
You can also learn from the church rituals, benefiting from each one.
As you walk on the road or sit at home, take lessons!
Whoever desires to be a disciple and to learn can do so — from the river, from the clouds. When you look at the high clouds, remember that they were once drops of water that rose upward by evaporation — yet they are not proud, for they will condense and fall again as drops; and when they descend, they are not discouraged!
You can learn from everything — even from garbage and dirt! Garbage can become fertilizer that nourishes plants and becomes part of the food you eat, and even part of your own body tissue.
So look carefully and despise nothing!
Just as one learns from nature, insects, birds, and everything, so also can one learn from events — from what happens to oneself or to others. Benefit from the experiences you go through, from history, from people’s lives, and from all happenings.
Our weakness is our short memory; we forget much. If we truly contemplated God’s hand in events, we would see wonders. The marvels of God in each of our lives and the spiritual lessons we can draw should not pass us by.
We can learn from every person we meet — if only we would say each time: “What lesson can I take from this person or this event?”
The world, nature, and life are full of lessons — but who is the one who truly wants to be a disciple and to learn?
Truly, if a person desires to be a disciple and to learn, he could never count his teachers — from nature, from people, from animals, birds, insects, and everything!
I urge you: be disciples, and learn from everything!
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An article by His Holiness Pope Shenouda III, published in Watani newspaper on 10-9-1972.
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