April 25th is National Take Your Kids To Work Day. When I was a kid, I got to go to work with my Dad a few times. He was a research food chemist before he retired. His education was in the food sciences. He worked at NutraSweet at the time. I loved seeing all the cool machines, and the labs. They had a sample food processing plant where they tested things before taking them to the full processing plant.
They even let us sample the treats they made. I thought my Dad had the coolest job ever! Seeing what he did gave me a new appreciation for the whole food industry. And it increased his hero status in my eyes.
Learning expands the soul.
Having a career, or a vocation you love is something the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints encourages. Whether it’s in manufacturing, education, the sciences, agriculture, medicine, law, or any number of other industries, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is all about education.
The church even encourages spiritual education with biweekly Sunday school for all members. In my high school and college years, there were seminary and institute programs that I loved and that wonderfully shaped my life.
Money where their mouth is
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints even funds many institutions of higher learning. There is BYU in Provo Utah, BYU Idaho in Rexburg Idaho, and BYU Hawaii in Laie Hawaii. Along with these top-notch universities, the church also has Missionary Training Centers all over the world where they teach more than 50 languages.
I went to BYU Idaho and loved every minute. After graduation, I met my husband and followed him to Provo Utah where he went to BYU. Education has changed in recent years, but the institutions the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints supports are always high quality. They have even started YouTube channels which are amazing.
A little-known fact outside the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is that temples focus on education. Every Temple is a place of learning. A temple session is an instructional experience that is edifying and uplifting. As we make and keep covenants we learn how to be more like God. That is what the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is all about- teaching men and women to be more like God.
36 The glory of God is intelligence, or, in other words, light and truth.
37 Light and truth forsake that evil one.
38 Every spirit of man was innocent in the beginning; and God having redeemed man from the fall, men became again, in their infant state, innocent before God.
39 And that wicked one cometh and taketh away light and truth, through disobedience, from the children of men, and because of the tradition of their fathers.
40 But I have commanded you to bring up your children in light and truth.
It is this directive from the Lord that motivated the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to build more than 300 temples, 3 Universities, and more than 31,000 congregations- which are also places of spiritual education and learning.
In Doctrine and Covenants 130: 19 it reads
19And if a person gains more knowledge and intelligence in this life through his diligence and obedience than another, he will have so much the advantage in the world to come.
Education for life
Elder David A Bednar said
I have spent most of my life involved in education. When I was younger, I thought education meant going to school, taking tests, and getting good grades. But as I grew older, I began to learn the difference between doing well in school and becoming educated. A person can do well on tests and still not be educated. True education is learning how to learn. Once I discovered that lesson, learning became fun.
One of the primary purposes of mortality is to learn—to gain knowledge and intelligence. Doctrine and Covenants 93:36 states, “The glory of God is intelligence.” You might think intelligence means being gifted in academic work, but intelligence also means applying the knowledge we obtain for righteous purposes.
Spiritual learning expands the Soul.
Knowledge, both temporal and spiritual, comes in steps. My testimony grew line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little, there a little (see Isaiah 28:10)—the way it does for almost all members of the Church. As a boy, I recall my mother reading Book of Mormon and Church history stories to me.
I felt a sweet, peaceful, reassuring feeling that what I was learning was true. This feeling developed into a sincere desire to learn more by studying the scriptures. Nothing has had a greater impact upon my life than reading, studying, and searching the scriptures in order to gain more knowledge and intelligence.
Learning is a beautiful thing. Like Elder Bednar, the most valuable part of my education was learning how to learn. And I have been growing ever since. It has been a wonderful thing to get to home-school my son. I love seeing things click as he gains new skills. And it has encouraged me to learn new things that I have always wanted to try.
Spiritual Education
Secular learning is fulfilling. But one of my favorite things the Church does is help with our spiritual education. I love knowing who I am, where I come from, and where I am going when I die. I’m a child of God. I lived with Him before I was born, and when I die I will return to live with Him again.
These are the fundamental questions mankind has asked for centuries. And thanks to the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, I know those answers. It’s stabilizing, empowering, and uplifting information. It takes the fear out of death, and the uncertainty out of life. I get to enjoy my family and being a mother, knowing I am making a major difference. The world would tell me I am needed elsewhere. But I know I’m most needed at home right now. And my son’s education is a vital part of my job.
When we die, we will only get to take our knowledge and relationships with us. It won’t be the status or money we’ve acquired that comes with us to heaven. I am grateful to belong to a church that helps me grow. I’m grateful for the church’s efforts in expanding my spiritual education.
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