Back to School

Pause

“There is no end to education. It is not that you read a book, pass an examination, and finish with education. The whole of life, from the moment you are born till the moment you die, is a process of learning.”

Jiddu Krishnamurti

I just read about a 90-year-old Kenyan woman who is proof that education has no age limit. Priscilla, a midwife, is going to primary school for the first time so she can learn to read and write. Because she grew up in an occupied country and lived through Kenya’s struggle for independence, she never received an education. She wears a school uniform and sits on the front row of her class. Priscilla says, “Education is your wealth.”

Listen

The proverbs of Solomon, King David’s son, from Israel: Their purpose is to teach wisdom and discipline, to help one understand wise sayings. They provide insightful instruction, which is righteous, just, and full of integrity. They make the naive mature, the young knowledgeable and discreet.

Proverbs 1:1-4

Think

King Solomon, the author of Proverbs, was known for his wisdom. People came from all over the world to learn from Solomon, and he was the richest, most powerful king of his time.

How did Solomon gain wisdom and wealth? 1 Kings 3 says that God came to Solomon in a dream and said, “Because you love me and live according to my laws, ask whatever you wish and I will give it to you.” Solomon could have asked for riches and power, but instead he asked for a sharp mind so that he would be able to separate good from evil. Solomon realized that he could not be a leader without God’s help. God was so pleased with Solomon’s request that God gave Solomon what he asked for — a wise and discerning mind. And then God gave Solomon more than he asked for — Solomon got wealth and fame, too!

What would you ask God for? Wealth and fame? Wisdom and knowledge? Perhaps wisdom and knowledge brings its own form of wealth and fame. Remember: Education is your wealth.

Ann Whitfield Carter

Pray

God, give me wisdom — wisdom that comes from knowing you, wisdom that comes from getting an education. And may I use that wisdom to be a light in my world. Amen.

Go

Go out into your day to be a learner
Open your eyes and your ears
Open your mind and your heart
Open your hands
To God’s amazing world
To God’s amazing people
Be surprised by what you discover
And never stop learning