“Wisdom is Supreme. Though it cost all you have, get understanding.”
This biblical passage very well underscores the value of wisdom and understanding. Responsible parents do everything to give their children the best possible education even from the very early stages of their lives. Education earned in school equips an individual with certain knowledge and skills as he joins the race that is predominant in the highly competitive societies of today. In any given field, the skills of a person may spell the difference between his own success and failure.
Our time is characterized by great advancements and innovations in technology. Lifestyles have eventually become mechanical and impersonal with the automation of almost everything. Indeed, life has increasingly become complex and difficult. Given such conditions, the amount of discipline, the level of skills, and the kind of wisdom in a person, acquired both in and out of school, will greatly help him in the stiff competition.
Recognizing this, responsible parents can ill-afford to deprive their children of quality education. They invest in their children’s education by employing all means possible. In fact, many parents today are no longer that complacent, not content with merely leaving the education of their children completely to the charge of school teachers. They actively involve their children’s learning by closely supervising their studies, sitting with them and assisting them in their homework. Some even go to the extent of scrutinizing the school’s curriculum and the calibre of its faculty members to ensure that their children will get the right kind of education that will mold them toward the fulfilment of their dreams.
But, above their objective, the more enlightened parents guide their children through an understanding of both religion and morals. They understand that it is their divine duty to teach their children the greatest knowledge ever, that is, the words of God.
A genuine understanding of the ways of the Lord indeed goes beyond the acquisition of earthly knowledge. While earthly education may bring about power, material prosperity, wealth and fame, and provide one with the conveniences and enjoyments of earthly life, it cannot sustain life forever. Our Lord Jesus Christ rhetorically asked: “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?”
Finally, it is the pursuits of eternal life through the knowledge of God’s will and obedience to His statutes that can bring about the greatest blessings to man — salvation and eternal life. Beyond the treasures, the assets and the education that parents may bestow their children, the knowledge of the words of God remains to be the most precious legacy a Christian parent may bequeath — indeed, a priceless inheritance.
By: Mark Louie S. Diwa
