“Education for Real Life”
This essay was written by Valerie, one of our guest writers.
O that cunning plan of the evil one! O the vainness, and the frailties, and the foolishness of men! When they are learned they think they are wise, and they hearken not unto the counsel of God, for they set it aside, supposing they know of themselves, wherefore, their wisdom is foolishness and it profiteth them not. And they shall perish (2 Nephi 9:28).
Growing up, I was always told that religion was for those who are weak, those who couldn’t do anything else but rely on God for His mercy. My dad is among those who think that only the weak believe in religion. God was for those who didn’t do well at school. I prayed to God every time I came across academic difficulties; He was my last resort. If everything else failed, there was always the possibility for a divine miracle. I continued believing this until I came across Elder Eyring’s talk entitled “Education for Real Life.”
I remember my Institute teacher referring to this talk commenting, “We are here to learn of the spiritual…. We will have plenty of time, once we are dead, to learn about the secular, that is, the things pertaining the Earth and all its components.” However, isn’t it obvious? How could our faith be tried if we are in God’s presence? We should try to focus all our energies on serving God and having faith in Him while we are in the flesh.
When a church member exhorted the young single adults – and students – in our ward to pray before doing math homework, I laughed. Oh yes, I laughed. Then, I realized I was of little faith and truly had offended God. After giving it some thought, I came to the conclusion that the only reason my first year of law school had been a nightmare was because I didn’t put my trust in God. To believe God can help me with certain things and certain things only is being of little faith. God is omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent. Being the Supreme Governor of the universe, the One who revealed the commandments to Moses, why couldn’t He help me with law school? Even Elder Eyring, in a CES [Church Education System] fireside, testified that, while studying, he received revelation that God knew about thermodynamics.
In the talk on education, Elder Eyring states that “we should always put spiritual learning first.” After giving much thought to this I decided over the summer to surrender to God’s will, and forget my pride, selfishness, and lack of willingness to rely on God for the secular. “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matthew 6:33).
I now have the desire to put my trust in God and let him teach me what I must do to serve Him by studying law. However, to believe every day that I must rely on God demands a great deal of faith. Believing that He knows what focus I need in my studies demands courage. Sometimes to stand in all humility and tell God “Thy will be done” is a lot harder than it appears to be. This is a probationary state, and we all have so much to learn, whether secular or spiritual. “Your life is carefully watched over, as was mine,” says Elder Eyring. “The Lord knows both what He will need you to do and what you will need to know. He is kind and He is all-knowing. So you can with confidence expect that He has prepared opportunities for you to learn in preparation for the service you will give.”
Valerie is a 20-year-old law student in Montreal. She was born and raised in the Roman Catholic church but converted to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints while on a trip to France.
October 5th, 2006 16:19
Valerie, this is a very good essay. I am always interested in educating myself and I like you take on things, and I appreciate the reference to Elder Eyring’s talk. Priorities, priorities! And remembering to turn to the Lord! Thanks!!
October 5th, 2006 18:43
I really enjoyed this post, Valerie. I immediately thought of the injunction in D&C 88:118, “And as all have not faith, seek ye diligently and teach one another words of wisdom; yea, seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom; seek learning, even by study and also by faith.”
Sometimes we tend to compartmentalize our learning, and think that “study” is for secular learning, and “faith” is for spiritual learning. But through experience I have found that I can learn ALL things better if I use both study and faith.
I really liked how you mentioned that you are concerned about using your learning to serve the Lord. I truly believe that all honorable work can be done in a way that serves God and our fellow men–if we are focusing our efforts towards that end. It’s great to know that you are determined to use your talents in that way!
October 6th, 2006 18:25
For whatever reason, my computer hasn’t let me comment, and I have been wanting to for days!
Thank you for this essay. I wish I could express how much I believe the Lord blessed and helped me when I was in school when I tried to put Him first in my life. I get very excited about this topic…I’m so glad you wrote about it!
October 7th, 2006 07:25
When I read the Elder Eyrings talk and after attending a workshop on the matter I realized what had been missing all along - is that I had drawn God away from my secular studies. Things are much better now indeed
October 7th, 2006 17:56
Maybe you can check back with us at the end of the year and report on the difference your revised focus has made!
October 7th, 2006 22:14
Valerie,
As a young mother homeschooling 5 young children, I can not tell you how much needed this article has been for me at this point in my life. Soooo much of what you have written and referred to above has been an answer to some long offered prayers and I thank you for that. I went and printed out Elder Eyring’s talk and have been pouring over it, praying, and making some changes in my life that are much needed right now! Thank you so much!