A Closer Walk
"I've never known any trouble that an hour's reading didn't assuage," Arthur Schopenhauer. "Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire," William Butler Yeats. "To educate a man in mind but not in morals is to educate a menace to society," Theodore Roosevelt. (All three quotes from the web site "Brainy Quotes”) The first quote above addresses self learning, or continuing our education after we graduate from school. The second quote speaks to igniting a passion for learning in the student. And the third quote teaches us about the need for each and every person to have a moral anchor; a personal moral compass. A compass, remember, points us in the right direction.
All three quotes have a similar theme. But what does our God say? "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it," Proverbs 22:6 NKJV. Train up a child. What does that mean? Well, simply put, to fill them with the knowledge they will need for life and living. That encompasses more than reading (very important), math (extremely important), writing (also important), history (very important) and any number of other things. Those might include geography, civics, economics, finance, and business. And children should all be anchored with a moral compass before they leave the nest (extremely important). Robbing banks? Definitely not! Giving to the poor? Certainly!
As we go through life we should be on an almost constant quest for further knowledge. About what? Well, here is the good part. We get to choose what we seek knowledge about. Things we enjoy or find interesting. Always loved castles? Do a web search for, say, the castles of England or Germany. Interested in geography? Look up the Seychelles Islands, or the Leeward Islands. Or when we hear the name of a country we're not familiar with search for it and learn about it. Interested in business? Look up some of our modern companies and see how they got started. Go to the company's web site and click on "About Us," or "Our history." One example: Proctor and Gamble, the makers of Charmin, Bounty, Dawn dish detergent, Cascade and many other products we use every single day. Mr. Proctor and Mr. Gamble married sisters. Their father-in-law told them that if they would go into business together he would help them get started. That was in 1836. Not a typo, 1836. How is this company still in operation? Where did I learn this? Their website. Want to know more? Search for them on the web.
As best we can we should try to pass on some of what we have learned, so that our knowledge doesn't just go with us to the grave. My grandchildren had never heard of "The Lone Ranger." So I told them the legend of the Lone Ranger. They had never heard of King Kong. So I passed on the legend of Skull Island. By the way, Fay Wray, the actress who starred in the 1930's movie "King Kong," wrote a letter to him before she passed away. In it she stated that no matter how many motion pictures she had appeared in she was always asked about playing opposite King Kong. She said he was by far the most important leading man of her career. Interesting.
If we have knowledge about how our family ancestors settled in these parts we should share that with our children and grandchildren. If we have knowledge about hard times our family has experienced we should pass on what the situation was, how the family handled that situation, and what they did to overcome it or get through it. So they could keep moving forward. That knowledge and information could be helpful in their future.
Our God chose the time, place, and era all of us were born in. He provided the experiences and wisdom we have gained over the years. Aren't we duty bound to share that with our family and the generations after us? We understand we can't force feed knowledge to unwilling recipients. But when we have opportunity we should share nuggets and tidbits here and there. Because they might need that wisdom or knowledge for their future.
"How much better to get wisdom that gold! And to get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver," Proverbs 16:16 NKJV.
“O we thank you for your kindness, we thank you for your love, We have been in heavenly places, felt blessings from above; We've been sharing all the good things, the family can afford, Let's just turn our hearts toward heaven and praise the Lord. Let's just praise the Lord! Praise the Lord! Let's just lift our hearts to heaven and praise the Lord; Let's just praise the Lord! Praise the Lord! Let's just lift our hearts toward heaven and praise the Lord!” Words and music by Bill and Gloria Gaither, both still serving the Lord.