Education’s First Love

By Tonya Gordon

“If you read history you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were precisely those who thought most of the next. It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this.”

C.S. Lewis

“And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” Galatians 6:9

We have the pleasure of watching a symphony of color burst forth from slumber every spring.

Life begins anew as we honor and remember our Savior’s sacrifice and resurrection. How awe-inspiring that God purposefully and creatively provides the visual depiction of seasons to testify to His greatness and love. Seasonal changes also illustrate the ebb and flow patterning of our lives. We all experience spring, summer, fall, and winters in life, yet our focus and constant throughout it all is our Creator. Through the intentioned time of deep study, prayer, and trustworthy fellowship and accountability, we weather our seasons and flourish.

As educators, we transition rather predictably through our 180 days. Summer, a unique perk of our profession, is viewed as a much-needed break until we grow restless and excited to welcome back students and decorate classrooms. Fall maintains our energy as it wraps us in warm, colorful reflection, thanksgiving, and fall sports, while winter’s quiet peacefulness dissipates with the anticipation of Christmas and snow dances. By the time spring fights back the chill for dominance, students and teachers alike begin to wither alongside the quick-blooming annuals. With all of the demands on Christian educators, these seasonal rhythms potentially become marred by monotony. The calling to share the vibrant, powerful, all-knowing, forgiving, merciful Creator-Savior dulls against a backdrop of methodically checked boxes. Biblical worldview in the classroom is relegated to a quick prayer and devotion.

The Designer of math, science, history, English, music, theatre, art, and physical well-being is waiting to be introduced and intimately known in every one of these divine subjects. They testify to His command of all things, His inspiration, wonder, and power. Tasked with the responsibility to share this life-sustaining good news, are we, as proclaimed Christian educators, taking great care and time to feed our souls through spiritual and professional development? Have we been intentional in our planning to humbly and reverently illustrate our Lord Jesus Christ in the classroom?

Although summer breaks, decorated classrooms, football games, snow dances, and spring wrap-ups are enjoyable, they are not the seasonal focuses that should take precedence in our Christian schools. Instead, let’s equip ourselves to redeem every season, month, and day to biblically immerse our schools, classrooms, and selves with Christ who breathes wisdom, knowledge, purpose, and eternal life.

I invite you to connect with RenewaNation’s REAP (RenewaNation Educator Advancement Program) initiative at renewanation.org/reap. The heartbeat of REAP is to inspire and equip Christian educators by providing training and resources to cultivate biblical worldview-immersed education in their homes, classrooms, and churches and provide testimony to the transformational work biblical worldview education is producing all across the world.

I also cordially invite you to join other Christian educators at one of our REAP conferences for a time of recovery, reflection, rest, and renewal. Let this summer be the season you find not only rest but also revival, as you and your school work to purely focus your school’s mission and vision on Him, education’s first love.

Tonya Gordon has a passion for providing children with a biblical worldview foundation. With over twenty-six years of combined experience in public, private, and homeschool education, she has been blessed with an extensive and unique perspective on pedagogy. She has served in various educational roles: teacher, state SOL auditor, assistant principal, academic dean, and homeschool tutor/educator. Tonya serves as the Director of REAP and iLumenEd Academy’s Curriculum and Instruction Advisor. Tonya and her husband, Ron, live in Roanoke, Virginia, and are blessed with three children.