The End in Mind
I enjoy planning creative lessons for my students to engage them in learning. I want them to build the skills and knowledge necessary to be strong, not only academically, but also in all other aspects of their lives. This involves encouraging them to think, problem solve, and explore.
The best way for me to promote learning for my students is to have the end goal in mind. As I work to make my lessons meaningful and productive, I am ever conscious of where I want my students to finish up. I start planning how I will assess my students and work my way backward from that point, figuring out how best to convey the needed concepts.
Learning a particular topic or skill requires concerted, directed effort. My students do not gain the required knowledge in a day. It is an ever-developing endeavour and process.
In the Christian life it is similar. We should be living our lives with the end goal in mind – eternal life with our Lord and Saviour.
What does that mean for our day to day lives?
I can tell you what it is not. It is not racing around trying madly to do enough good things in this life to earn brownie points with our Heavenly Father. He is not interested in those kinds of tallies.
If our final goal is heaven then there is only way to get there – through the blood and sacrifice of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Believe that Jesus has paid the price for your sins and you will be saved.
The crux of the matter is that we live our lives differently if we have this end goal in mind. We want to reach out to others with care and compassion. We desire to assist those that are troubled or hurt. We share the Gospel message at every opportunity, not only through what we say, but in how we live our lives. We can be instruments of hope.
This week a good friend took the journey Home to be with our Saviour. The hole she leaves in this world is great. She was a friend to everyone she met and tackled life with joy and vigour. She lived a life of faith, knowing that she was in the arms of our Saviour throughout all life’s circumstances. Her vivid smile and sparkling eyes and infectious faith helped make Christ evident to those around her. She cared about all those who crossed her path and she continually tried to be God’s light in this world.
She is an excellent example to follow. Don’t just live your life – embrace it and celebrate God’s blessings. May others see Christ active in your life. You never know who you might bring hope to today. Keep your eyes on the goal and trust in our Saviour to get you there.
