The Gift of Study
Chamie Delkeskamp
I live vicariously through my children this time of year. It is because
of them that I can hold a new box of crayons in my hands, smell the
sweetness of crayola, gaze at the perfectly pointed colors of
possibility. Ah, crayons… my favorite new school supply. What is yours?
This
year I embark on a new journey of teaching eighth grade homeroom and
religion at Ascension Lutheran School in Thousand Oaks, CA,
www.ascensionlutheran-school.org. I haven’t taught in a school setting
since the nineties when I donned long skirts, wrapped my hair in a bun,
and made my way out to the two-room schoolhouse on the South Dakota
prairie. In those days, I felt very much like Laura Ingalls Wilder.
I
have always found myself tugged by crayons, country schoolhouses,
books, and the wonder of learning something new. Perhaps this is one of
the reasons I’m also in love with the Christian faith. Christian
history is full of wise scholars.
Last
year while traveling on sabbatical, we spent a morning at Durham
Cathedral in England. I found myself entranced. Though magnificent, it
was not the far-reaching archways or the rose window or the ornately
carved wooden pews in the quire that swept me away. Neither was it the
discovery of Harry Potter filming sites. What most captivated me was
the “Monk’s Dormitory” which today is the library where students from
Durham University study. As we quietly made our way up the ancient
staircase, we were met with quiet at the entrance. A most delightful
docent in a voice barely above a whisper told me of studious monks. The
Benedictine rule emphasized the importance of study, and monasteries
were the focus of much of the intellectual life of the Middle Ages. She
spoke, for instance, of monks who studied such things as herbs and
medicine and that much of what they discovered a thousand years ago is
still used by doctors today.
I
found myself fascinated. I wondered, “What more could we do today if we
took our wisest scientific minds and interwove them with faith, with
God’s guidance and grace?”
Since
I teach at a Lutheran School, I have become aware of the fact that
Martin Luther was a strong supporter of education. In fact, he said
that if he were to have any other profession than preaching, it would
be that of a teacher. He found learning to be pure delight. Luther
said, “I shall say nothing here about the pure pleasure a [person] gets
from having studied, even though he never holds an office of any kind,
how at home by himself he can read all kinds of things, talk and
associate with educated people, and travel and do business in foreign
lands.”
The
founder of my own Methodist tradition, John Wesley, was called one of
the most learned men of his times. He was conversant in seven
languages. Wesley said, “Take care that every society be duly supplied
with books.” Considering that my dream date is to have Barnes and Noble
all to myself at midnight – with a good cup of cappucinno in hand –
Wesley has me hook, line, and sinker.
The beauty and need for wisdom was spoken of long ago in the book of Proverbs. Mull over these opening words from Proverbs 1:
The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel:
for attaining wisdom and discipline; for understanding words of insight;
for acquiring a disciplined and prudent life, doing what is right and just and fair;
for giving prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the young-
let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance
for understanding proverbs and parables, the sayings and riddles of the wise.
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.
Listen, my son, to your father's instruction and do not forsake your mother's teaching.
They will be a garland to grace your head and a chain to adorn your neck…
Wisdom
calls aloud in the street, she raises her voice in the public squares;
at the head of the noisy streets she cries out, in the gateways of the
city she makes her speech.
As our children begin another year of school, I wonder what it might be
to help inspire the love of learning by doing a little tweak. Perhaps
instead of first emphasizing good grades or personal gain, we shift our
focal point to making the world a better place. Bernard of Clairveaux,
a French abbot who lived nearly a thousand years ago, said it this way:
Some seek knowledge for
the sake of knowledge:
that is curiosity;
Others seek knowledge so that
they themselves may be known:
that is vanity;
But there are still others
who seek knowledge in
order to serve and edify others:
and that is charity.
So
what might it be to seek knowledge so that we can serve and edify
others? Job Ebenezer comes to mind. He was a man I learned about while
working with a cross-cultural camping programs and issues of poverty
and justice. Ebenezer has his Phd and enough knowledge to either cause
great damage or great good to the world. He has chosen to use his best
knowledge to help the poor. He leads a non-profit called Technology for
the Poor. Maybe the inventive mind of you or your children will be
inspired by some of the videos at www.technologyforthepoor.com.
When
considering the enormity of challenges we face as the human race… food
and water shortages… oil spills… disease… I think we need empower and
inspire one another to learn, to us our best knowledge, to ask God to
walk alongside us, as we create a world full of hope and possibility.
As Luther rightfully noted, good education is essential to good cities.
He said, “What do we older folks live for if not for the care of the
young, to teach and train them? The prosperity of a city does not
depend on the accumulation of great riches, the building of walls and
houses.... Rather, a city’s greatest and best prosperity, salvation,
and power is that it has many fine, learned, sensible, righteous,
well-trained Christian citizens.”
This
month, let not the busy-ness of new schedule or the pressures of
academics hide the most important aspect of study – which I would say
is about having the knowledge to heal, to build, and to create a more
beautiful world. As you ponder this in your own family, also consider
what it might be to make education possible for children who may not be
able to afford school supplies or even more so, children who are not
able to go to school at all because they do not have the resources. We
invite you to sign up to receive posts from the Raising Micah blog as
one of our board members, Allison Domicone, will be blogging about her
experience in Africa this summer. Allison also works with a non-profit
called Akili Dada, www.akilidada.org, that helps fund schooling for
girls in Kenya. So please journey with us as we help each other learn.
Blessings as you study and learn.
SEEKING KNOWLEDGE
Mulling Questions
1. What is you favorite school supply?
2.
What feelings do you have as a new school year begins? Did you like
school when you were a kid? Why or why not? When have you been most
inspired to learn? Who was your best teacher?
3.
When you think of the Christian faith, do you think of educated people?
Or do you think of uninformed people? How has Christianity inspired
learning? How has it hurt learning?
4.
How might you inspire your children – from little ones to teens – to be
learners who can bring about goodness in the world?
SEEKING KNOWLEDGE
Action Opportunities
The
“Action Opportunities” are meant to do WITH CHILDREN. This is a great
way for families to grow together. You don’t have to do everything.
Pick what fits you - or invent your own.
1.
Learn about a person of faith or an organization that has used their
best knowledge to bring healing and hope to the world.
2.
For the month, support a local school that is struggling with
resources. Or support local families who do not have the means to buy
school supplies, clothes, or books.
3. For the month, find an organization globally that helps educate, such as Akili Dada.
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