Placing God Last on the Priority List
Have you noticed our students have their lives overbooked? Emails from parents share how students are up late due to sports practices, followed by homework. Stories from students in class show their struggle to even carve out a few minutes to read a book they enjoy. This scenario seems more and more common with each school year. Our kids have little time to fit everything life demands into 24 hours!
Ellen White shares what it was like in Christ’s childhood. She stated that “… the Jewish teachers gave their attention to matters of ceremony. The mind was crowded with material that was worthless to the learner, and that would not be recognized in the higher school of the courts above. The experience which is obtained through a personal acceptance of God's word had no place in the educational system. Absorbed in the round of externals, the students found no quiet hours to spend with God. They did not hear His voice speaking to the heart.” (DA, 69.3)
What are our students searching for? Maybe their focus is sports, gaming, reading, or even getting the highest grades. There’s nothing wrong with any of these goals. However, even in the time of Jesus, students couldn’t hear the voice of God, because they were too busy focusing on the other demands of life. Their time had been so consumed by things they thought were so important, that time with God was put aside. We need to encourage our student to place Jesus first in importance. No matter the hectic schedule, Christ deserves priority.
As we try to finish the year strong, let us help our students truly know Jesus daily.
“Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always.”