Here’s how we usually think about disqualification: an athlete cheats and faces suspension; a politician steals and loses his post; a Christian worker fails and forfeits his ministry. We’re all afraid of that type of failure.
But we should add another category to disqualification that, truth be told, is far more common: failure to qualify. Let me illustrate.
After skating through four years of “honors” high school Spanish, I had zero command of the language despite grades that said otherwise. But you can’t fake it forever. And this all became clear when, while canvassing a neighborhood during my senior year of high school, I couldn’t even conjure the vocabulary to invite a Spanish-speaking seeker to a Spanish church service.
Greg: Um … te gusta … no that’s not right … um … iglesia … si … no. Wait. Hola!
Spanish-Speaking Dude: (Confused silence)
Nobody needed to tell me how pathetic it was that after four years of lazy preparation, I forfeited a ministry opportunity the Lord had given me. I disqualified myself with laziness.
Now that school’s been in session for a few weeks, the syllabus shock has worn away, the new clothes have been washed at least once, and the deadlines are already piling up. In other words, the grind has begun. So, as you tackle those tests and write those papers, here’s a little Bible-based motivation to get the best out of your school year.
Education Protects
Hard thinking will protect you from a multitude of evils: false teachers, smooth-talking con men, emotionalism in its varied forms, and so forth. Peter says that some of Paul’s words are “hard to understand” (2 Pet. 3:16). I would agree. But that’s hardly an excuse to give up trying; it’s reason to think even harder as “the ignorant and unstable twist [Paul’s words] to their own destruction.” Solomon says, “The simple believes everything, but the prudent gives thought to his steps” (Prov. 14:15). Hucksters abound. And they do everything from peddling modern snake oil to sowing emotional deceit. Trained, biblical reasoning will protect you from “the wiles of the devil” (Eph. 6:1).
Sometimes It’s About Obedience
Not only does Jesus demand that you love the Lord “with all your mind” (Matt. 22:37), but we can definitively say—at least for those in high school and below—that God wants you in school. How can I say that so dogmatically? First, God demands that believers obey the government so long as the government’s laws don’t violate the Bible (Romans 13:1-7). Most states require that children attend school at least through ages 17 or 18 (some give exceptions at 16). Second, children must obey their parents (Eph. 6:1). So, if God has told you to obey both the government and your parents, and both the government and your parents have told you to be in school, that pretty much settles it. God wants you in school.
Knowledge Creates Opportunity
Knowledge always has a market. And believers never know where ministry or employment opportunities will arise. I’m sure Saul of Tarsus never dreamed what his vocational training in tent-making would mean for him decades later. John G. Paton’s father taught him how to dig a well—knowledge he later used to bring the gospel to an entire island in the New Hebrides. No, I can’t tell you what doors Trigonometry or Speech will open. But neither can you. And that’s just the point—God can bring opportunities from the most unlikely bits of knowledge.
Last Thoughts
First, let me pass along some advice. Use your education to put arrows in God’s quiver. Right now, you may not feel the slightest inclination to go to grad school (or, if you’re in high school, to go to college). But that can change. So do your best to be qualified should the Lord change your mind. What if, at the end of your college days, you felt led to attend graduate school, but your GPA was too low because of some epic laziness during your freshman and sophomore years? Tragic.
Second, I was pretty good at Mario Kart (just ask my old roommate, Joe). Too bad I’ve never had a potential employer ask me to fire green tortoise shells backward at encroaching enemies. All that to say … use your time wisely. Some knowledge really is useless.
Third, I’m sure some people are reading this and thinking, “But I have a learning disability!” Or, “God hasn’t gifted me; I’m just not good at school.”
Maybe so. But think about it this way. First, never has our academic environment been more sympathetic to people with learning disabilities than it is right now. Yes, success in a traditional academic setting may be a genuine struggle for you, but you live in a nation whose teachers will do everything possible to help you succeed. Simply by virtue of your American citizenship, you’ve been afforded unprecedented academic opportunity.
And that brings me to my second thought. Whether God gives you 10 talents or 1, He demands a return (Matt. 25:14-29). Simply burying your talent in the sand, no matter how small it is by comparison, is unacceptable to the King who reaps where He does not plant.
Work hard—prepare yourself for a lifetime of service. If you’ve got Suma Cum Laude stuff, stop skating by. Or if school is a struggle, think how much better off you’ll be with acquired knowledge and a good work ethic.
Either way, the most spiritual thing you can do this school year is to love the Lord your God with all your mind. You’re not working for a piece of paper. You’re getting an education the Lord can use to open doors for His glory, the rest of your days.
