The Love of Learning

Wow, time slips by so quickly;it never ceases to amaze me. It seems like summer just started and here it is already August, and nearly time for school to start again! As I get back in routine, and start thinking about academics, I'm reminded about the kind of attitude we should have about learning. When you're young, school can so many times seem to be a drudgery,and quite pointless. You just want to get the minimal amount of work done, so that you can go off and play. I've been guilty of this many times. As I grow older though, academics has taken on a different meaning. The priority is now cultivating my relationship with Christ, and everything comes secondary to that. The same way that we should be maturing in our walk with Christ, we should be maturing in our attitude towards schooling. No one should have to tell us what to research, or create a schedule for us. I'm not saying that teachers or parents can't provide direction and advice, but we should be self- motivated. I've had to come to the place where I re-evalute some things, and ask myself some hard questions. Learning should be a joy, and it shouldn't stop with formal academic schoolwork. As we move into the high school and/or college years, we should be taking charge of our own education, and realizing the importance and long- lasting results that it will have. For example, when I started high school, my mother stopped printing assignment sheets each week for me. She simply told me what needed to happen within the day, and I was responsible for figuring out how to get it all done in a timely manner. This transition teaches much needed responsiblity and time management. What are you passionate about? What are you interested in? Take those things and find ways to research and learn more about them. If music practice and excerise is important to you, then find a way to integrate it into your daily schedule. In all things, we must seek God's guidance and obey His word. Learning to be a homemaker can be a part of your every day life. Walk alongside your mother, ask questions, and learn things from her. If you plan to go off to college, find out the prerequisites for geting there, make wise descisions, and apply good work ethic. Cultivate a love for reading, and you will surely cultivate a love of learning. The majority of things can be discovered, and learned in a book, or in an article somewhere. Any passion, talent, interest, or hobby can be turned into a business. Take certain opportunities. Most important of all, we must all love to learn about God's Word. We can never exhaust it, and never know everything about it. Delight in His commands and choose to obey them. Honor God with your life, choose to let Him work through you; make it count. Take the time every day to learn something new! Soli Deo Gloria, Ahlaischa