Learning

In the tenth decade of my life, and bounding toward the century mark of my earthly sojourn, I possess a deep urge to write about the factors that I believe have formed my life, and I believe others may use to form theirs to satisfaction, inner peace, and free from fear about the future to ultimate decline, death and heaven.   The factors are not to be thought of so much in a sequence as to be engaged when they first appear for knowledge (discovery of facts related to personhood), understanding (evaluation to affirmative meaning) and wisdom (application in thought/faith to conduct).  All this requires some effort and the rewards are commensurate to the efforts.  Insufficient efforts lead to lack of information, less gratification, and with less wisdom to share with those who cross our lives – persons blessed or denied from what we have to offer.  In addition there is a blessed personal closure for those who have sought and gained wisdom’s fulfillment. In the closure of our lives we will not in wisdom measure our lives by fame, wealth or power but in that which, under God, finds virtue in love, service, integrity, faith, thanksgiving, humility and righteousness.

We begin with family.  Every kid deserves a loving and integrated family.  My mother made up for much that was denied to her children, and without her love and care I would not have made it up the hill.  Her roomers and boarders were some help and hindrance, as was my step-father, but she carried the load.  I’m grateful. The emergence of my own family in wife and children supportive of my life vision and goals was more than I am able to formulate in words.  They became factors in my re-formation of some life/goals.

We follow with education.  The experiences I had in public schools served me well in respect for both learning and the professionals engaging in it, persons who gave me personal attention and encouragement, sometimes in special ways.  The Christian institutions of learning I attended accented a value system that made all the difference in my life, not only in dealing with others, but in the ideals that emerged in my life. Criticisms of formal education need to be addressed, but the public is too little aware of the benefits of education that justify the time and cost devoted to it.  Commercialization may blind us to some purposes.

We need self-evaluation.  I like to think of this as self-education.  We need to listen to ourselves and evaluate what we hear, so to form a life worth living.  I have listened to my body so have determined to avoid some habits, to follow a beneficial life in food choices, exercise, and to measure life in the biblical pattern of moderation.  The one-word volume for a healthy physical body is enveloped in moderation. It is in tragic interest that the public follows the habits of celebrities who may have missed that simplicity.

We are formed by values.  One value, Thanksgiving, is far and away more than most persons realize.  Studies have shown that thankful persons, even if not believing in God, are healthier than non-thankful persons.  Thankful persons are more optimistic, even releasing body juices for good health that would not serve otherwise.  Values lift us above the negatives that plague us.  There is an affirmation that drives some persons to greater fulfillment of themselves and their gifts.  The values of many persons are wrapped up in wealth, power, recognition (perhaps celebrity, or eminence) – none of which will be entered at the bar of God in the final evaluation.  There the judgment will be made on righteousness, on service to others, on integrity of conduct, on the sacrifices/blessings that contribute to divine citizenship.  There are interesting parables of all this.  For example – not far from where I live there are a number of persons emigrated from Vietnam in reward for supporting the American military during the Vietnam conflict.  We rewarded them.

We can be formed by God.  It began for me in a series of ordinary events in the life of a youth introduced to Jesus Christ in a church service. I asked forgiveness of God for anything objectionable in me, and received his grace that has followed me and formed me for more than seventy five years.  In nearly eight decades I have experienced starts and stops, moves forward, sideways, and backwards, then to recover, press on to higher elevations and to live in joyful immortal expectations.  Thanks God!