As mothers, it’s vital we think through WHAT we mean by “education” and “person” in order for us to aim to “educate the whole person.” Also, WHY is educating the whole person our aim, as opposed to focusing on only the intellect? That WHAT and WHY informs our HOW, i.e. our method of education. In the other words, they are the living ideas that help shape my DAILY actions, speech, commitments, choices, and especially, my priority of relationships.
For me, the following idea felt like a sudden, magnificent burst of sunlight on what was once a dimly lit room in my mind: “Education is the science of relations.” Mason discovered that at its core, education is the discovery and nurturing of relationships with GOD first and foremost, people, and His created universe. Do you see the wondrous freedom, breadth, depth, and DIGNITY this gives to us?
If education is about RELATIONSHIPS - in their proper order of God, people, and creation - and
protecting and nurturing their wonders, there is no limit to the creativity, beauty, and diversity of our education.
If education is about RELATIONSHIPS, then inherently, the dignity of the child (as well as you and I) as PERSONS is revealed.
We are persons because God made us in His image to commune with Him for all eternity.
It is this relationship with God - of Creator with His created - which makes us PERSONS, and enables us to have relationships. Relationships which make up our education.
We are made by God to know Him, to fellowship with Him, to worship Him, and to give Him glory in all we are and possess - whether in intellect, character and temperament, passions, and things.
Oh! To truly grasp what it means to bear His image and to be made to bring Him glory in all the ways to relate to Jesus, to His people, and to His achingly beautiful universe.
That is my aim.
During these short years with my children at home, I am regularly reminding myself of the VISION God gave to my husband and I.
Remembering that these first 18 years with each of them are the laying of the foundation for an eternal relationship with our glorious Lord Jesus, my method of education (the HOW) is clear.
The Holy Spirit is the only true Educator.
He is the only one who can form true relationships, for He is the only One who has absolute access to the child’s inner being.
I am stepping onto holy ground.
The METHOD is simple: I must cooperate with the Holy Spirit as He shapes their inner being. As He forms the relationships of the heart, mind, and soul, my part is three-fold…..
(1) I must get out of His way.
Do not hinder; do not offend; do not despise.
Instead, in faith and trust in Him, engage in masterly inactivity.
(2) By God’s grace given to me daily afresh, I do what I can to cultivate an ATMOSPHERE, nurture HABITS, and provide sources for LIVING IDEAS, in alignment with what the Holy Spirit is “miracling” in each child.
There are so many more lived-out thoughts (through many trials and errors) I can share on this that I could fill several books!
But for now, I’ll end with this:
On that morning, the weather suddenly became cold and we could feel the chill in our bones. She came out of her room as quiet as a mouse. Not unlike her, but there was a heaviness in her spirit. I could sense a shift in her mood as I look up from my Bible study to greet her.
I give her a tight bear hug and kiss her cheek.
There is worry in her face. It’s just her and I in the kitchen. I ask her how she is, and I wait.
This is my child who never interrupts, but I know is constantly having an internal dialogue in her mind. She thinks deeply and feels deeply.
I’ve learned that I have to create and protect “space” for her. She needs to feel unhurried to let me into her precious, complexly delightful inner world.
“I need your help, mommy,” is all she says.
And that’s all she has to say.
Praying can look like simply looking up from the checklist, and really looking at your child.
My children know what I mean when I say, “Mommy needs to pet a goat.”
They quickly grab their coats.
Sometimes being spontaneous is simply the outward show of a praying mom discerning the voice of God.
And suddenly, going out to pet a goat is the most holy, whole-child educational act I could do.
