The Value of Education

       The past few weeks have been full of the activities that signal the end of the school year. We have attended awards ceremonies, band concerts, choir concerts, and other countless activities related to graduation. My oldest son has done well in school and will be attending Auburn University (War Eagle!) in the fall on a Presidential Scholarship combined with another full scholarship through the engineering department. He finished his high school career with an Advanced Diploma, in the top ten of his class (out of 142), a member of the National Honor Society and Spanish Honor Society. My youngest son, a tenth grader, finished his year strong by making the highest grades on his finals in Alg. II with Trig, Spanish I, and Chemistry. On another graduation front, my youngest daughter graduated from the eighth grade as the top student of her class (five years running). To add to that, my young ward finished her school year with all As and Bs after transferring schools in February and starting over mid-stream, which is not an easy feat for anyone to do. What mother wouldn’t be thrilled to death with children such as these—especially when she’s a teacher who places an inordinate amount of value on learning? I love to learn to the point that my husband calls me a perpetual student; honestly, if someone would pay me to just go to school for the rest of my life, I would be absolutely thrilled about doing so. All of that said my recurring thought this week has been the words of the apostle Paul, who was extremely well educated: “But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ” (Philippians 3:8, NIV). My attitude towards education has changed so much in the last ten years—even though it has been one of the last of my bulwarks to be affected by my walk with Christ. In his 1828 dictionary, Noah Webster defines a bulwark as “that which secures against an enemy or external annoyance; a screen or shelter; means of protection and safety.” I think that for years, to some degree, I have found my identity and even security in education and my profession as an ambassador of learning. Don’t get me wrong—I still think an education is a wonderful and valuable thing, and I still love learning, but compared to the value of knowing Christ, everything else pales in comparison—even accomplishments in education.