What we must get in Christian schooling - Part 3

There are some things that are vitally important for us to 'get' in Christian schooling. One of these is for us to teach our children that God has created us with purpose and meaning in mind. We are not meant to live our lives in pursuit of personal happiness and comfort. Rather, we should seek to be instruments of God in his mission in the world, the Misseo Dei. If we succeed in this, we will have young people graduating from our school that go out into the world of Architecture, Medicine, Law, Engineering and many others, and transform those sectors by living out God's love, proclaiming his Word and establishing his kingship. And living life on purpose like this will yield true happiness, or what the Bible more often refers to as joy.

Victor Frankl, a prisoner of war and psychologist in World War II, wrote "But happiness cannot be pursued; it must ensue. One must have a reason to 'be happy." He warned against pursuing happiness as a goal instead of a more noble pursuit of purpose and receiving happiness as a reward. "It is the very pursuit of happiness," Frankl said "that thwarts happiness."

In John 4:35, Jesus says, "open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest." Our Christian students are not necessarily called as missionaries to work as 'harvesters of the fields', but simply to serve God's purposes wherever they may be found. How will they do this? I have been fascinated to read what reactions Germans have expressed to the more than 80 000 migrants that flooded their country. While many have said that they fear the potential impact of the mostly Muslim migrants on theiir religion and culture, German Chancellor Angela Merckel has challenged the nation, saying that Germany is a Christian nation and its people must confidently say they are Christian, must start to attend church more often and must become bibelfest (knowledgeable of the Bible). Perhaps she is speaking to all of us in the church worldwide.

May God grant that we raise a generation of children that will live in his purposes, seeking to establish his Kingdom in their area of vocation with passion and bibelfest.

Ken Langley