Monday, January 14, 2013

Education

Train a child in the way he should go (Proverbs 22:6).

Public education is something that provokes a lot of controversy.  How much should the tax levy be?  What size classroom is best for the students?  What is the right balance between academics and extracurricular activities?  What kind of disciplinary powers should the teacher have?  What level of competency should youth be expected to achieve in their studies?

With budget issues looming large at every level of government, questions like these are on the minds of many people.  But there is a more fundamental question that needs to be asked.  What exactly are we teaching our children?  What are we equipping them with to face the challenges of life?  What kind of worldview are we nurturing in their young minds?

Are we teaching our children to value things over people?  Are we raising them to feel entitled to whatever makes them feel good?  Are we shaping them to see the world as a place of moral ambiguity, where truth changes according to your perspective and how you behave depends on the situation?  Are we encouraging a focus on today that doesn’t consider what tomorrow might bring?

Every child is a gift to this world from the Maker of All Things.  Every child is precious and deserving of the best education we can give.  But life is about more than reading and math and science.  Life is about more than being popular, wealthy, or physically fit.  Life is about being kind and generous and respectful to others.  Life is about contributing instead of taking, building up instead of tearing down.  Life is about considering the repercussions of your behavior before acting and taking responsibility for your mistakes.  Life is about adherence to what is true and right and good, regardless of personal cost.

These principles for life come from our divine Maker Himself. But children need to know one thing more—when they fail to live up to God’s expectations, as everyone fails, they can find the relief of forgiveness in Jesus’ loving arms.  The Son of God offered Himself to death on the cross for everyone who needs mercy—including adults who fall short in training God’s children as they should.

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