Back to School

"A poor, yet wise lad is better than an old and foolish king who no longer knows how to receive instruction." Ecclesiastes 4:13

Even though I've been out of college for going on 8 years now, sometimes I miss it. I really enjoy the process of learning, it's always exciting to learn something new or pick up a new skill. And in this day, where anyone can go back to school anytime they want to learn more, many, many people do. I can't help but wonder if God doesn't plant that desire to learn in us. That desire to do better and add knowledge. Life is a long process of learning, and there is soooo much to learn from the God's Word. It's exciting to think that in 20 years, I will still be learning things from this wonderful Book of Love. Every day I find something new in the Bible, and I thank God for the new wonder he has shown me.

Learning is a lifelong process, and it does well to continue learning. But why is that? Here is 2 Thessalonians 3:6

In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we command you, brothers, to keep away from every brother who is idle and does not live according to the teaching you received from us.

Learning keeps us from being idle. Proverbs 31:27 says, "She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness." We are not supposed to be idle, wasting our time on fruitless pursuits. This is a daily struggle for me. Daily. While I do think it is okay to curl up with a book for a while to relax a bit, or wind down with a little TV, it's the excess that is evil. Sitting down for a 6 hour marathon of your favorite show every day is wasting precious time. Especially when there are little ones involved. An example needs to be set to show children how to be productive and how to enjoy the fruits of ones labor. I like to think that my kids see that when we cook a meal together and then are able to all enjoy it. Or when they watch Andy busy building a bookshelf out of wood and then it is used to hold all their precious books. Yet it is so easy for me to just declare that today is going to be a lazy day, and I let the kids spend their time on computer games or movie watching.

Instead I want to concentrate on learning. I'm not talking about actually going to school, I'm talking about the learning process. First and foremost, learning from God's word every day, but secondly, also expanding my knowledge in other things. Showing my children that learning is not only fun, it's rewarding. That it is a wonderful thing to learn how to sew, because the ugliest cloth can become the most beautiful thing when it is created by a willing heart. O learning how to care for pet fish is valuable in teaching responsibility. Idleness is not welcome here. I pray that God will continue to give me the strength to fight it off. It's been so hard the last couple of days... just as I've gotten into a wonderful rhythm of keeping my house clean and company ready most times, all the sudden I feel tired and lazy. I have no doubt that this is the work of the devil, and he is NOT welcome here. May God strengthen my heart today and show me what he'd like me to learn.