"It is okay if my son/daughter doesn't do as well academically as long as they are serving Jesus." I have heard that comment many times - you probably have too. It is a comment I have felt increasingly uncomfortable with. Recently I have discovered WHY that comment has made me uncomfortable. It is one of those comments that is hard to argue with partly because as a Christian I BELIEVE it. Of course, I want my children to serve God and to follow him faithfully. Isn’t that why I educate my children at home? Isn’t that why we read the Bible at the beginning of every school day?

First and foremost we want our children to serve God. That is right and good. In fact, God Himself agrees, He says in Deuteronomy 11:18-21, “Fix these words of mine [his commandments] in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates, so that your days and the days of your children may be many in the land that the LORD swore to give your forefathers, as many as the days that the heavens are above the earth”. The Bible clearly states that we must teach our children to serve God.

My question is: Why do we limit or minimize academic learning? In order for our children to serve God to their fullest potential they NEED a good education. Education gives them the tools they need to serve God and to live well. Education is the means in which we learn how to process information, organize our thoughts and to effectively communicate with those around us. When we don’t challenge our children to do well academically we are not equipping them for every good work that God has them to do. We are essentially putting tape over their mouths and asking them to go out and share the gospel. What is wrong with that picture? Or we tell them to build a sturdy house without giving them a hammer and nails. It is impossible or at least not as effective as it could be. If we fail to teach them well they will not be equipped to do what God has chosen for them to do. They will be plagued with vision (given by God) without the ability to accomplish the goal.

In order to help our children serve God with all that they are they need a strong foundation of faith AND to be well educated. In my opinion, both the foundation of faith and education work hand in hand to create an effective and godly person. Proverbs 14:23 says, “All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty”. What “profit” do our children receive from working hard? They build confidence in their ability to learn. They gain knowledge of the subject at hand. They learn that giving up is not an option – they learn to persevere. For some children one subject may be a thorn in their side (and ours for that matter); they are tired of trying and you are frustrated by the lack of progress. This is when you have to push them to see beyond the material at hand and remind them that they will “get it” if they don’t give up. This is when true Christian living starts. It is easy to have a good attitude when you understand all the material in front of you but it is a hard to maintain a good attitude when you find yourself frustrated with learning. That is when you have to have faith for Colossians 3:23, 24 which says, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving”. You have to trust that God will reward your children with understanding as they continue to keep on trying! So become their cheerleader instead of letting them give up!

This doesn’t mean that your child will have the highest IQ or be at the top of the class in college. It means that you, as their mentor and teacher, create the expectation that they need to do their best all the time not just when they feel like it or when learning comes easily. Teach them to work hard, not for themselves but so God can use them to further His Kingdom.