Since enjoying learning—especially for teens—is so radically different from the normal approach, may I continue to introduce you, one by one, to the people and Scriptures that have brought this to life for me?
I hope you’re nodding your head right now. Not nodding off, mind you! That would take us in an entirely different direction.
So, for today, let’s open our Bibles to discover a glimpse into God’s heart, His wise and loving ways in education. After all, if He is the One who created human beings with the ability to grow up and beget other humans, then He must have had something in mind for how adults could teach children!
Psalm 111:2 says, “The works of the Lord are great, studied by all who have pleasure in them.”
Okay. Did you see that go by? Did you notice those two words “studied” and “pleasure” in the same sentence????
Amazing. The obvious scriptural implication here is that it is possible for us to have pleasure in studying His works.
This generates, at least in my mind, a question: What exactly is included in “the works of the Lord”? Is it solely knowledge of theology, doctrine, evangelism, and eschatology—you know, church stuff?
Well, no, I don’t think so. If you start reading in Genesis, you’ll quickly discover that everything good comes rightly under the category of “the works of the Lord.” That would include:
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- biology
- chemistry
- physics
- mathematics
- language
- geography
- zoology
- history
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But wait, there’s more! According to the Bible, people are created in the image and likeness of God. One result of being created in His image is that people are creative. The things we do, the creative works, form another category, a sort of sub-heading of academic studies, which fit under “the works of the Lord.” These would include:
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- art
- architecture
- drama
- music
- literature
- athletics
- home economics
- computer technology
- gourmet cooking
- car mechanics
- hair design
- interior decorating
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Are you with me? When we stop and actually consider the categories which fit under “works of the Lord,” all of the subjects we can imagine—and more—are suddenly seen as potentially enjoyable to study.
Notice that Psalm 111:2 does not say anything about the enjoyment being limited to little kids.
Hmmm.
What IF we are each hardwired to enjoy learning? What IF there are ways we can tap into this when we teach our children? What IF there are possibilities far beyond what we have even imagined?
Well, that’s enough for today. In the next post, Lord willing, I’ll be sharing with you some thoughts from John Comenius, the Father of Modern Education. Intrigued? Great! See you then.
Remember, stay relational.