Intelligent people are always ready to learn. Their ears are open for knowledge. (Proverbs 18:15, NLT)
The 2026 The Players Championship was Jordan Speith’s thirteenth time challenging Sawgrass and conceded, “I need to have even more patience here than I do other places, and it’s just 13 times in a row … something gets me here, and I just don’t quite have the patience for it.”
After finishing with a double bogey in round two, The Golf Digest writer who penned Speith’s self-disclosure added, “In other words, in year 13 at TPC Sawgrass, he still has not learned, and there still are no plans to.”
I am both surprised and not surprised at Speith’s admission. I too understand how some courses cause a mental angst. But an attitude that refuses to learn brings our own demise.
Contrary to Speith’s animosity with learning to approach Sawgrass differently, our relationship with knowledge should be one that values discernment, humility, and teachability.
Sitting in the middle of a few proverbs contrasting wise and foolish behavior, Proverbs 18:15 reveals two things we can learn to apply in our lives?
Ready to Learn: Intelligent people, or we might say a people growing in wisdom, recognize they do not know everything. They are humble and habitually searching for and acquiring more understanding in all areas of life.
Attentive Listening: The Hebrew idea of “open ears” implies a receptive posture to hear and learn from others. This requires more listening and less speaking.
First and foremost, we should be seeking knowledge in God’s Word. The more we seek to understand his teachings in context, the more we assimilate into our hearts and souls.
God has also given us avenues to learn from others through history, the sciences, the arts, and even sports.
We can learn corporately and on our own. Gathering in church, conferences, or small groups bring discussion and thoughtful debate. Reading articles and books broadens our scope of information intake.
Learning and listening requires effort and discernment. We need to recognize what is contrary to God’s instruction for living a “set apart” (2 Timothy 2:12) life with him.
God is a God who is creating and desires us to join him. Do you have a heart and mindset for learning with attentive listening?
Prayer: Lord, help me today to be ready to learn and open my ears for listening. Thank you that I am never down learning and growing.