Out of School!

Many are looking forward to the end of the school year—especially if they are graduating! But do we ever really get out of school? Do we ever quit learning?

After spring break, it seems spring fever is in full force for students around the northern hemisphere. I recently talked to a friend who said, “Two more months and I’m out of school!”

Will he really be out of school? As an education major, I know I’ll probably be inside school buildings for the rest of my life—and I don’t think I will ever stop being a student either.

What about you—are you really done with school?

I hope not!

Welcome to God’s school!

If we’re really honest with ourselves, we’ll recognize that there’s always more to learn. Nobody’s entirely done growing, maturing and learning. In the parable of the talents, we see that we’re supposed to always be using our abilities to grow and better ourselves (Matthew 25:14-30). Growth is an important part of life at all stages.

How does this growth come about? In Galatians 5:22-23 the apostle Paul tells us about the fruit of the Holy Spirit. In order for a tree to produce fruit, it has to grow. We are the same—in order to produce fruit, we have to grow as Christians. This means the Holy Spirit, which helps us to produce this fruit, is an essential part of the growth process. In order to grow as true Christians, we must have God’s Spirit.

What does all of this have to do with school? In John 14:26 Christ tells His disciples (both the original 12 and those of us who follow Him today) that “the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you” (emphasis added throughout).

God’s divine power is to teach us. So we must be learners.

A Chinese proverb says, “Teachers open the door. You enter by yourself.” In Romans 8:14 we read that we are to be led by the Spirit. Led—not dragged. If you’re going to be taught by God’s Spirit, then you have to want to learn. Author Anthony D’Angelo phrased it well when he said, “Develop a passion for learning. If you do, you will never cease to grow.”

Test time!

When you think of school, you probably think of tests. Believe it or not, there’s a reason for those tests beyond torturing students. Tests are used to gauge what a student knows and can apply to his or her situation. Well, God uses tests in the same way.

In Genesis 22:1 we read that “God tested Abraham.” Abraham was told to travel about three days and offer his son Isaac as a sacrifice to God. While such a request wasn’t uncommon in the pagan world, it seemed very strange coming from God Almighty. Yet there was a reason for this test. God was looking for something.

At the end of the test, He found it and revealed the reason to Abraham. “And He said, ‘Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me’” (Genesis 22:12).

In 1 Peter 1:7, we read that “the genuineness of your faith , being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” God’s tests show God and, to a lesser extent, those around us what we are made of.

Being a college student, I’ve found tests to be a source of anxiety. A lot of students I know have lost some sleep due to tests.

Are God’s tests something that we should be anxious about? They are definitely more important than a physics test.

Yet God gives us a promise in Hebrews 13:5, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” An even greater promise is in 1 Corinthians 10:13: “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.” To me, that is extremely reassuring.

Graduation

As long as we’re part of this physical realm, we’ll be learning and growing.

The real graduation will come when Christ returns and brings the Kingdom of God to this earth. I think we all look forward to the graduation ceremony when Christ says, “Well done, good and faithful servant. … Enter into the joy of your lord” (Matthew 25:21).

Joshua Travers is a history and Spanish education major at Ohio University and attends the Athens, Ohio, congregation of the Church of God, a Worldwide Association.