First time parents have purchased millions of copies of the What to Expect When You’re Expecting book by Heidi Murkoff, but no matter how much planning takes place new parents quickly realize that raising children is one of life’s major responsibilities and greatest challenges. God entrusts children to parents, at least for a while. During these years, as God’s stewards, parents are supposed to care for their children in the best way they know how.
This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. (Joshua 1:8, ESV)
Every mother and father wants success and prosperity for their children, but how do we define success and prosperity? As a parent, it does not matter to me how wealthy my son becomes if his success and prosperity comes without fulfillment of God’s purpose in his life.
Like all parents, I have big dreams for my child. I want the absolute best for him and I know that the best means a life of devotion and service to Jesus Christ. After working in education for nearly twenty years in both public and Christian schools, I know that the best way for him to learn this devotion and service is in a Christian school.
Whether we realize it or not, we are engaged in a great spiritual battle for the hearts and minds of our children. Unfortunately, many young people are entering this battle without the necessary preparation and protection. Parents cannot expect young people to succeed as adults in our complex world if their children have received only a Sunday school-level preparation for the challenges and spiritual battles that will confront them. Young people need to see godly values embraced and lived out in their families. They need to be active members in their churches, part of the body of Christ, in order both to grow their faith and to serve others. They also need the kind of daily training they receive at a Christian school – training that helps them apply the values of their faith to everything in life. At LCS, our teachers integrate faith and into the learning so that our graduates will integrate faith into their life when they are on their own.
As parents, we are not perfect. We do not always consistently model godly attitudes and behaviors. This is one reason we should be thankful for Lenawee Christian School. We can be confident in knowing that our children are surrounded by loving and caring men and women who provide solid biblical teaching and godly examples. In this way LCS can provide extra support for the home or family when things wobble a bit and a parent’s example is not as strong as it could or should be.
As Nicholas Wolterstorff, the respected Christian philosopher from Yale University, put it, “education is about preparing young people for life”. An education from Lenawee Christian School prepares young people for a particular kind of life that we call Christian.
Interested in learning more about this topic? We recommend reading, Worth It – The 15000 Hour Decision by Brian S. Simmons (Colorado Springs: Purposeful Designs, 2011). Portions of this post stem from concepts in this book.