This year it has been my privilege to teach math courses and also add a financial literacy class with our Juniors at AHS. The Junior class often has great insight into habits in spending and the psychology behind them. We have enjoyed laying a foundation of basic skills in budgeting, approach to debt and spending that can mold their adult lives, if they choose to. That’s the point, isn’t it? That we can choose which things become the foundation for our lives and which ideas we choose to ascribe to.
Oftentimes, I remind my students that the foundation we are setting in place today in math class is the cornerstone of their high school or college math understanding. Each topic that is mastered is a firm foundation, trustworthy and secure. Something we can rely on and build upon for the next topic at hand. The sturdier we have built the foundation, the easier it is for them to build upon it.
Funny how math really does liken itself to our lives, right? We build our faith on the firm foundation of God’s love for us, Christ’s sacrifice on the cross and His power in resurrection. We build our ideals based on scripture and the relationship we are growing with God, or we build it on other desires that pull us away from Him. We live our lives to His glory based on the security of our relationship with Him and our understanding of who He is, or we live for others, or maybe even just for ourselves.
Just like my students, we have a great opportunity to choose which things we will attend to and what foundation we will lay for ourselves. If we choose well, the fullness of life is available to us. If we choose poorly, I fear we will find ourselves busy at all the things that ultimately do not provide a sturdy foundation for the life we would like to have. A busy life, yet empty.
As I write this, I can hear the banter of high school students in the background. Discussing life, plans, homework, breakfast (ha!), all with tenderness and lots of laughter. Sometimes, as an adult, I can miss some of the sweetness of relationships in the hustle of the day. I’m thankful to be a part of a community that consistently brings me up and points me back to the Creator and to others so that I can enjoy relationship with both. I’m grateful for reminders to lay my life down in sacrifice for the One who sacrificed for me, when I was so undeserving, and the numerous opportunities I have to do the same for those around me.