Equal Footing?

I morphed again. Wow, that sounds like a really bad thing when you say it that way.  Like something a teenager would do to get attention.  But it's true.  I've changed.  Not long ago I wrote these words: "We will develop Christian character in our students, and lead them toward growth in their walk with the Lord.  This is on equal footing with our desire to be academically excellent, for without it we are worthless as a Christian school" (emphasis added). It's the equal footing part that bothers me.  I know why I wrote that. It is difficult as a school to make anything more important than academic success.  Academic success validates us and, in many cases, defines us as a school.  But ask yourself this question: "When I stand before God, will he be checking my academic pedigree?  Will he want to know my high school grades or my college degrees?  I know, it matters how we use the talents God has given us.  If he has given you a great mind, you had better be using it for his glory.  I also know that we are a school, and that other components of the Christian community (e.g. the church and the home) contribute to faith building.  But I keep thinking about the fact that we have direct influence over our students for 50% of their waking hours during their high school years.  Where should we be putting our emphasis?  Remember, how effectively you use your mind for God will not save you; what will save you is your personal faith in Jesus Christ.  How then, can a Christian school put academic success on equal footing with the development of Christian character, or more importantly, growth in (or formation of) a saving relationship with Jesus Christ?  My belief is that it can't, and that it shouldn't try.  Instead, we must strive for and maintain academic excellence while making growth in the Christian faith our top priority as we develop relationships with our students. Then we move beyond being a school with a Christian focus to being a Christian school with an eternal focus.

Morphing 101

From time to time my wife Stacy and I  recall, with some embarrassment, our early thoughts on raising a family.  It went something like this: start young, finish young, then enjoy the empty nest.  We had no trouble with step one, as our first four children were all born before we reached the age of 30.  Simple math put us as empty-nesters by our mid 40s.  What a brilliant plan!  Fortunately, it wasn't God's plan, which became clear to us when we welcomed two orphans into our home.  As God made changes to our plans, our view of family also changed.  In fact, it's probably more accurate to say that we changed, rather than our views.  We were no longer looking forward to our kids being out of the house (though there are still those days!), but instead we began to understand that God was using us to shape and mold our children, His children actually.  What a blessing and responsibility! Now we cherish every day with our kids, with a less than eager expectation that some day we actually will be empty-nesters.

In his book The Life You've Always Wanted John Ortberg reminds us that we need to morph.  We need to be willing to change, and more importantly, to change according to God's plan, becoming all He wants us to be. Stacy and I have most certainly done some morphing over the past 25 years.  In fact, I have recently morphed into the grandparent stage, and now I have an entirely new perspective on family!  Yet I feel that I have so far to go in order to be all that God wants me to be.  Am I still open to his leading?  Am I willing to do what he wants, despite any difficulties it may cause me?  Can he really have his way in me, or are those just words that I sing in church?  Ultimately, the question is, am I allowing him to be Lord over every aspect of my life?  Am I still morphing?  Are you?