After attending a rally for a new school year I left feeling sad about where our education is going. While working for one of the top school districts in the state of Texas I am well aware of the passion these people have for education and the children at large. But one thing I failed to see was the true impact, the impact that matters. The event started out with the typical hoopla that most female driven events consists of. Lots of cheering and clapping, noise makers, pom-poms. We watched a well made video of students from the past year make remarks about their teachers and what they helped them accomplish. The video was filled with words like success, accomplish, dedication,and make a difference. But let me ask you this. How in the world will we make any difference in the world of a child, if they don't know who made that change possible. All this change and improvement of self and desire to be successful is all good in well, if it's not taken out of context. The true success lies in nothing you do or accomplish. No change matters outside of what God does. Without the recognition of the giver of the change, the maker of the success, you have a self-centered, self-reliant, self-dependent person who thinks they really can do all this on their own. I watched one of the parents on the video tell their child (3rd Grader), who suffers from dyslexia, that he could be anything he wanted to be. There is no truth in that statement at all. What happens if what he wanted to be all his life, he fails to become? Then what? What about all that success, and accomplishment talk. It's terribly sad and heart wrenching to see how far God has been removed from our educational world. We don't have to wait for "One Nation Under God" to be taken away, to finally strip God from our schools. He already has been. This will just add to the arrogance of our children along with our teachers about the impact they make or hope to make some day. I believe it no coincidence that today on my way to work I was listening to John Piper who had this to say. "Just think of the massive rebellion in public education where Christ is never brought into relationship to all the thoughts that come from him, are held by him, lead to him and it is all denied. I tell you it is one massive miracle of grace that we breath another breath."--The Deep Riches and Wisdom and Knowledge of God Part 2 August 7, 2007
All the motivation sounds great and can inspire you and make you feel as if you can change the world. But I come to find that that isn't true, at least in the context we present it in. I hear nothing of a higher power here. I hear nothing of relying upon someone else for strength. All I hear is you can make an impact in a young child's life. Tell those students they can be anything they want to be. Lie straight to their face and make sure you don't stand in the way of their self-esteem or tell them they can't make it in this world without a savior. We are creating a future of self-reliance and finding the power within. No wonder adults grow up to think that they have the power within themselves to accomplish something or conquer some fear or dream. Anything outside the grace and blessing of Christ is sandy ground. Then we see the disaster of what happens when they don't get their way. Any school teacher can tell you what this looks like.
Sure the children may succeed at making something of themselves in this world. We may help them along to gain earthly treasures and earthly accolades. They may feel good about the success they're experiencing or the impact that they have amongst their peers, but someday this will light the eternal flame of hell. It will all be cast aside and then what? What will they be left with? What will they have to stand on? Who will they rely on and trust when they find out they can't trust themselves? They must learn to lean upon the Savior for their eternal destination. But what is scary is that we are teaching the next generation the exact opposite. We are telling them that they have everything inside of them they will need in this life. We are telling our students over and over that they are in control of their lives. That they choose what their path looks like. That whatever you desire you can achieve. You have it in you, you just have to dig deep. There is no mention of God and his sovereignty over our lives. Their is no mention that their degree along with their accomplishments will someday be cast aside and worthless.
The only impact these students can have on this world is an impact backed by Jesus. Without the acknowledgment of his presence and his guidance and direction, we are lost. We are sheep without a Shepherd. The only impact that will matter one day is if Jesus made an impact on our heart. Was he more precious than that degree, or that success. Without this, all these desires and words sound nice, but what a wasted life spent gathering storehouses that you can't take with you. How sad to think that our kids spend 8 hours a day being told that they are little "gods" and all of life is at their fingertips. I'm sorry to say, not all of life, but all of eternity separated from Christ is what this road leads to.
Oh, but what a wonderful impact that can be made for this world for those that trust in another for their success, for their meaning, and for their direction in life. That person being Jesus, God's son. All real, true, meaningful impacts are made at the backdrop of eternity, not in a godless school room.
All the motivation sounds great and can inspire you and make you feel as if you can change the world. But I come to find that that isn't true, at least in the context we present it in. I hear nothing of a higher power here. I hear nothing of relying upon someone else for strength. All I hear is you can make an impact in a young child's life. Tell those students they can be anything they want to be. Lie straight to their face and make sure you don't stand in the way of their self-esteem or tell them they can't make it in this world without a savior. We are creating a future of self-reliance and finding the power within. No wonder adults grow up to think that they have the power within themselves to accomplish something or conquer some fear or dream. Anything outside the grace and blessing of Christ is sandy ground. Then we see the disaster of what happens when they don't get their way. Any school teacher can tell you what this looks like.
Sure the children may succeed at making something of themselves in this world. We may help them along to gain earthly treasures and earthly accolades. They may feel good about the success they're experiencing or the impact that they have amongst their peers, but someday this will light the eternal flame of hell. It will all be cast aside and then what? What will they be left with? What will they have to stand on? Who will they rely on and trust when they find out they can't trust themselves? They must learn to lean upon the Savior for their eternal destination. But what is scary is that we are teaching the next generation the exact opposite. We are telling them that they have everything inside of them they will need in this life. We are telling our students over and over that they are in control of their lives. That they choose what their path looks like. That whatever you desire you can achieve. You have it in you, you just have to dig deep. There is no mention of God and his sovereignty over our lives. Their is no mention that their degree along with their accomplishments will someday be cast aside and worthless.
The only impact these students can have on this world is an impact backed by Jesus. Without the acknowledgment of his presence and his guidance and direction, we are lost. We are sheep without a Shepherd. The only impact that will matter one day is if Jesus made an impact on our heart. Was he more precious than that degree, or that success. Without this, all these desires and words sound nice, but what a wasted life spent gathering storehouses that you can't take with you. How sad to think that our kids spend 8 hours a day being told that they are little "gods" and all of life is at their fingertips. I'm sorry to say, not all of life, but all of eternity separated from Christ is what this road leads to.
Oh, but what a wonderful impact that can be made for this world for those that trust in another for their success, for their meaning, and for their direction in life. That person being Jesus, God's son. All real, true, meaningful impacts are made at the backdrop of eternity, not in a godless school room.
JTH
