While listening to a sermon by Britt Merrick, the following quote from C.S. Lewis was stated. Shook my world.
“No man knows how bad he is till he has tried very hard to be good. A silly idea is current that good people do not know what temptation means. This is an obvious lie. Only those who try to resist temptation know how strong it is. After all, you find out the strength of the German army by fighting against it, not by giving in. You find out the strength of a wind by trying to walk against it, not by lying down. A man who gives in to temptation after five minutes simply does not know what it would have been like an hour later. That is why bad people, in one sense, know very little about badness — they have lived a sheltered life by always giving in. We never find out the strength of the evil impulse inside us until we try to fight it: and Christ, because He was the only man who never yielded to temptation, is also the only man who knows to the full what temptation means — the only complete realist.”
When I have some “free me time” I usually choose to cook, bake or sew. My interest in these hobbies stems from my grandmother. As I was growing up she took time to teach me about these activities and mold me into the person I am today. I am able to make things from macaroni salad to quilts because of her instruction.
I admire how she organizes and plans out her cooking, produces a plethora of food in a timely manner and then brings the whole family together to enjoy it. It always seemed anti climatic to me that after a LONG day of cooking everyone would inhale the scrumptious food and be on their way; however, she graciously takes the compliments and treasures the few minutes before it is time to do dishes. All the while she does this with joy and never complains. Her attitude trained me to be a joyful servant in the kitchen and I appreciate that. One particular trade that I feel honored to have learned from her is canning jelly. I enjoy helping her make pomegranate jelly from the juice of the beautiful fruit off of my grandparent’s tree.
My grandma has also been a very positive example for me in my role as a wife. She is always eager to serve my grandpa and speak well of him! I am thankful for the fine example I have to look up to in my grandma!
Over the past few weeks I have been spending 30 minutes or so each day, dissecting the works of Bob Briner in his book Roaring Lambs. As a graduate of a Christian University, I agree wholeheartedly with his thesis on Christian higher education. Here is an excerpt from the chapter “The Christian Academe: Underachievers” :
I’m afraid too many of our Christian colleges have developed an inferiority complex. Obviously, relatively small Christian colleges cannot compete with giant research institutions in terms of facilities and equipment. There will probably never be any atom smashers or giant radio telescopes on Christian college campuses. So What? Undergraduate education — even in the sciences — does not demand expensive, sophisticated equipment. Basic laboratory equipment and solid, godly science teachers who demand excellence will give our students the knowledge and skills necessary to get them into medical schools and into graduate programs at the universities. More and more employers are looking for graduates from liberal arts colleges — graduates who have been well schooled in the world of books, words, ideas, ideals, history, ethics, speech, communication, and creativity. No expensive equipment is needed here. For the most part, we already have the most important “equipment” in the form of well-trained, highly motivated, dedicated faculties. We need to pay them better, encourage them to reach higher in their own scholarship, and expect them to set examples of excellence for our students, while accepting nothing but excellence from them. In many cases, our faculties, like our students, are not being adequately challenged.
Most people do not have the opportunity to meet their great-great-grandparents. Autumn has been blessed to have two great-great-grandmas living. One she will meet in a couple of weeks and the other is the subject of this encomium.
I will always remember the first time Autumn met her great-great-grandma Marsh. Autumn was still small enough that her great-great-grandma could hold her on her lap and it was such a precious sight to see! This woman who has lived so much of her life was holding this baby who has so much life to live. At that moment I realized that without great-great-grandma Marsh, Autumn would not be and I felt a deep gratitude for the things she had gone through and the life she has lived. Although I do not know her very well at all (she is Brandon’s great-grandma) I learned so much about her character that day. As she held Autumn on her lap she gave her advice about life that filled the room with laughter. She would say things like, “You rule the roost now!” and “If you don’t get your way, just stomp your feet!” Her humor at her age was such a delight to see. Then when she got quiet someone asked what she was thinking and she replied, “I am praying for Autumn.” It was a very special moment, one that extended blessing from one generation to those that follow.
We had the privilege to visit great-great-grandma Marsh again six months later and the interaction between her and Autumn was just as sweet. This time Autumn was much too big for great-great-grandma’s lap but they enjoyed the garden together and exchanged many smiles. As time may be drawing near to the end of one life on earth I want to preserve these memories for Autumn to have. Although she may not remember these times she will know that she has a GREAT-GREAT-grandma Marsh.
21st Century Western Culture is obsessed with education, and for great reason. Young minds need to be trained, the genius of the older generations must be passed down, and the torch must burn brighter than ever before. I cannot imagine anyone in any society, in any social setting disagreeing with passing down knowledge from one generation to the next. But ask people how to accomplish that feat, and the debate is on. Even amongst education administrators there is a large debate as how to educate our young.
Ken Robinson, in the following video provides a fresh (and often comical) look at education, creativity, and a passion for life. Check it out.
I have a younger brother who is one of the most athletic and creative people I know. It is actually quite irritating how quickly he can master musicianship and endeavors of athleticism. So what seems logical is to allow him to exploit his strengths, gain power, finesse and experience. But our society requires these dreams to be extracurricular. Why is it that we require our young ones to learn chemistry (which many of them will never use), calculate complex formulas (that are soon forgotten by 95% of individuals), and then wonder why we are failing to educate this upcoming generation?
Contradictions abound in the realm of education. We explain that everyone is unique, that everyone has their own strengths. And yet we require everyone to participate in the same classes, learn the same things, and become the same as everyone around them.
What if, instead of bringing our children up to take all of the most advanced classes in the maths, sciences, and language, we allowed them to gain a basic understanding and then begin to exploit the gifts that are natural within them. Give the students a foundation, instill within them a desire, but allow their natural gifting to drive them to excellence. Our children are talented. Let’s train them to embrace their talents, not destroy them before they even get to explore them.
Knowledge is power. But what about wisdom? Is it possible to truly build a society on top of knowledge? What happens when you pull wisdom, replacing it with facts and trivia? You create a mansion built on the sand, that’s what. I have had the opportunity to meet with many brilliant individuals, many of whom could, with quickness and accuracy, solve some of the most difficult math and science problems facing out world today. But many of those same individuals have lacked the discernment to understand that their own home was crashing under them. Everything was coming down; all they knew became worthless.
Divorce, crime, and debt are prevalent in American society, a collection of people who pride themselves in their accomplishments, in being a super-power. Over the past century our knowledge has doubled, and doubled again. We can find books on any subject, get a PhD in virtually any subject. But our homes are broken. How long can society last on this beach of shifting sand? Instead of building a foundation, we are racing to see who can build the tallest, most magnificent building. But the bigger they are, the harder they fall.
And while I don’t dare argue for even a second that knowledge is unimportant, it is wisdom that holds a society, a home together. Regardless of your opinion on groups like the Amish, it is very difficult to argue that they are not a stable people (no they are not perfect, far from it). An object of our mockery (be it in fun or in seriousness), the group has one of the most stable foundations I have encountered. When tragedy strikes, the people know how to respond. That is wisdom. No, you will not find the latest Apple gadget, amazing vehicles or scientific theories coming from the Amish. But when society all around them is coming crashing down, you will see a group that is standing firm.
But that is not to say that it is impossible, or even improbably to attain both wisdom and knowledge. But if we want our knowledge to be worthwhile, it must be built upon a foundation of wisdom. Where there is wisdom, there is the power to gain knowledge and understanding. Anything else is just a chasing of the wind.
