Dear Daughters & YBW:
In this letter, I want to shift gears a little. I want to get off of spiritual matters and get onto the matters of the mind. In this letter, I want to talk to you about the importance of your early education. So many young people today do not take their early education seriously. When I talk about an early education, I am referring to the education one can gain from the age of eleven and upward. It is vital that you see the importance of education at an early age.
The value of getting a good education is all around us. God even addresses the importance of increasing knowledge in His Word. Notice Proverbs 1:5: “A wise man (wise woman) will hear and will increase learning; and a man (woman) of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels.”
Proverbs 9:9 tells us: “Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser: teach a just man, and he will increase in learning.” So become wiser by increasing in knowledge.
Now, increasing in knowledge does not happen by osmosis. There are certain things that will help you in your early education:
First, you must have an internal motivation to want to learn. You must have a desire to learn. No one can put that in you. It’s a heart thing. It’s a made up mind that says: “I want to learn. I want to know about the world around me.”
Second, you must take responsibility for your learning. Your teachers can teach until they are blue in the face, and your parents can fuss at you about taking your schooling seriously, but your education will not be to you what it should be until you take full responsibility for it.
Third, realize and keep in mind that what you learn will help you in life. It will help make life better for you. If you play around and waste your time in junior and senior high school, your actions will show up in college and in your life. If you go to college just to pass the time, you will have a hard time in the working world. Don’t go to school to play. Go to school to learn, and be all that God wants you to be.
Yours for a Great Early Education,
Papa
P.T. (Power-Thoughts):
“Education can polish men, but only the blood of Christ can cleanse them.” – Anonymous
“I think education is the single most important issue in our country. If we can get that one thing right, if we can make sure every single child gets a great education, it will solve a lot of our other problems.” – Laura Bush
“The classroom is a sanctuary.” – Daniel Whyte III
“Education’s purpose is to replace an empty mind with an open one.” – Malcolm S. Forbes
“Whoever cares to learn will always find a teacher.” – German Proverb
BIBLE GEM: “For the Lord giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.” – Proverbs 2:6
TALK TO GOD: Dear God, I want to learn all that I can for your glory and honor. Give me your knowledge and grace to study hard to show myself approved unto you. Most of all, teach me Your Word. I ask all of this in Jesus’ precious name. Amen.
BOOK: Living Beyond Yourself: Exploring the Fruit of the Spirit, by Beth Moore
CHECK IT OUT: www.school-for-champions.com
This chapter is an excerpt from my book, Letters to Young Black Women: Loving, Fatherly Advice and Encouragement for a Difficult Journey. Click here to find out more or to purchase the book online.
The Damascus Light News 