Reading Facebook this week, I noticed that several young adults I know are about to graduate from the college of their choice. Some have gone to college right out of high school. Some have married & had a kid or two and then went on to get their degree. Either way I am thrilled to see this!
In a land not so far away, in a time that seems (thankfully) long ago, in a church that was confused, higher learning was looked down upon. The thought was that one would become contaminated with an ungodly point of view. Much better to spend one’s time working in the church, going to a Bible college and then do something religiously oriented. As a result of this, several years worth of high school graduates did not go to college, floundering in minimum wage jobs, without much direction for their lives really.
Fortunately, God did not let that perspective stay & purged it out of the church. The result is several nurses, teachers, musicians, IT specialists, etc. who did not just obtained a degree but did it with excellence, most graduating with honors. None of them absorbed a worldly perspective. They maintained, through many challenges, their allegiance to the King of Kings. The church was much better as it gained young people full of wisdom as well as skill. And much rejoicing was heard throughout the land!
Proverbs 2 (NIV)
1My son, if you accept my words
and store up my commands within you,
2 turning your ear to wisdom
and applying your heart to understanding—
3 indeed, if you call out for insight
and cry aloud for understanding,
4 and if you look for it as for silver
and search for it as for hidden treasure,
5 then you will understand the fear of the LORD
and find the knowledge of God.
6 For the LORD gives wisdom;
from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.
7 He holds success in store for the upright,
he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless,
8 for he guards the course of the just
and protects the way of his faithful ones.
9 Then you will understand what is right and just
and fair—every good path.
10 For wisdom will enter your heart,
and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.
11 Discretion will protect you,
and understanding will guard you.
12 Wisdom will save you from the ways of wicked men,
from men whose words are perverse,
13 who have left the straight paths
to walk in dark ways,
14 who delight in doing wrong
and rejoice in the perverseness of evil,
15 whose paths are crooked
and who are devious in their ways.
I'm glad to see these degrees being earned, too. It is extra-hard work for those pursuing education while rearing families, but they are doing well!
Posted by: Kathy.m.nickerson@gmail.com | April 23, 2011 at 05:18 PM
It's good to see everyone going to college. I must admit I have NO desire to go now, but sometimes I think it would be really nice to have gone out of high school and be done with it now.
Posted by: Eleanor | April 27, 2011 at 09:25 PM