The Key to Growth: Openness and a Willingness to Learn

Half the room sat in frustration, feeling helpless, while the other half quickly answered what seemed like impossible questions.

This wasn’t a test of intelligence. The class was in middle of a psychological experiment no one told them about.

When the Answers Won’t Come

The class was given a short test. Each group received a series of scrambled letters, and the instructions were simple: form a word using all the letters, with no extras added.

What none of the students knew was that the right side of the room was given ORWD and immediately solved it—WORD. Next came OTPS, which they unscrambled as STOP. Finally, they were given LOCUD, and most quickly saw it as CLOUD.

The left side of the room, however, was given a very different experience. Their first two puzzles weren’t real words at all: REWQ and TARF—completely unsolvable. They were set up to fail. By the time they received the same third word as the right side—LOCUD—they couldn’t solve it. Even though CLOUD was right there, many gave up without even trying.

When the experiment was explained, the left side expressed frustration and even shame:

“I felt stupid.”

“I just didn’t think I could do it.”

Welcome to "Learned Helplessness"

This simple test revealed a powerful truth: something called learned helplessness.

When people face repeated failure—especially when it feels out of their control—they begin to believe that success is impossible. Even when they can succeed, they’ve already convinced themselves they can’t. So they don’t even try.

We can do the same thing in our spiritual lives.

Two Ways We Close Our Minds

When it comes to growth—spiritual, emotional, or personal—there are two major ways we shut down progress:

1. Arrogance: “I already know.”

Some people stop growing because they believe they already have all the answers. They’ve learned just enough to feel confident and stop listening. But Scripture challenges this mindset:

“Instruct the wise and they will be wiser still; teach the righteous and they will add to their learning.”
—Proverbs 9:9

True wisdom is always teachable. Arrogance closes the door to understanding.

2. Learned Helplessness: “I can’t grow.”

Others stop growing because they’ve failed before or they feel like they’re not capable of change. They’ve tried to understand the Bible and felt confused. They’ve tried to change and slipped up. And slowly, they start to believe:

“I’ll never get it.”
“I’m not spiritual enough.”
“This just isn’t for me.”

This too is a closed mind. It’s not proud, but it’s equally limiting.

Openness Is the Antidote

Whether we struggle with pride or discouragement, openness is the answer. A willingness to learn. A posture of humility and hope.

Paul reminds us in 2 Timothy 3:16–17:

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

God’s Word can shape and equip us—but only if we let it.

How to Stay Open

Here are three ways to cultivate a teachable spirit:

Start each day with a prayer:
“Lord, help me learn what You want to show me today.”
Approach Scripture like a beginner, not an expert. Even familiar passages can reveal something new.
Recognize where you’ve closed yourself off. Whether it’s pride or discouragement, bring it to God and ask Him to soften your heart.

The Growth You’re Seeking Is Possible

You’re not stuck. And you’re not beyond help. Growth is possible, but it starts with openness.

You don’t have to have all the answers. And you don’t have to fear past failures. You just need to stay teachable. God is still working, still shaping, and still calling you forward.

Have you ever experienced "learned helplessness" like this experiment created in these students? Share in the comments. How did you learn to overcome it?

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