Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5&6
The following request came in from one of our readers.
I'd like to see you address the topic of motivation in schoolwork sometime on your blog. How do we use the Scriptures to instill in our kids a motivation to do their best in their studies? What form should discipline take for children who do not apply themselves the way they should?
This is a topic that nearly every parent, and certainly every child, is familiar with. "It's time to do your schoolwork." The response is usually not – Sure mom, thanks for reminding me. I can’t believe that I almost forgot to get back to doing my work. This school stuff is great! Maybe I will have even more to do tomorrow.” No, the response is more likely to be, “Why do I have to do this? I really don’t feel good. Maybe I should stay home tomorrow.” So, what do you do to provide biblical motivation?
I believe the familiar passage in Proverbs (quoted above) is a great place to start. Since the question is about schoolwork, let me give you an assignment. Think about how Proverbs 3:5-6 applies to the question that our reader asked. I’ll give you my answer tomorrow. Please let me know your thoughts.
2 thoughts on “Schoolwork – Getting it Done”
Jay,
I have had this problem several times over the years. As a father of 14 and a homeschool dad it is an ongoing training issue.
The real issue is, as the verse says, a God issue.
As with most child training issues we need to look at the ‘heart’ to determine the real problem.
Is your child a christian? Than you need to talk to them about what it means to trust in the Lord and submit themselves to His authority and leading. e.g. children obey your parents.
Have you taught them to yield themselves to the Spirit of God and let Him be in control? If not they will attempt to please Him from the flesh and be frustrated in the process.
Is your child unbelieving? The issue here is still one of the heart and the heart issue still needs to be determined. Is it rebeliousness or laziness for example. Once you have determined the heart issue than you can begin to deal with the problem and determine the proper method of discipline or motivation.
Scripture is a powerful tool in the hands of a loving parent. Be sure to use it in love. Help them, believing or not, to understand that the loving God of the Bible desires to guide them in all they do as they trust Him. The goal is to continually turn them to Him not to us.
Dave
I guess I would look at the Scripture in a couple ways. One way I would interpret it would be similar to how Dan has interpreted it—the need for children to trust and obey even if they can’t see where it leads or feel like doing so. I guess the other way I look at it deals with my own motivation in teaching and instructing them on subjects other than Scripture. I have to make sure I am teaching them what God thinks is important, rather than leaning on my own understanding of the importance of education in their lives. I was brought up believing that education was pretty much the key to a successful life,which I now think is more like idolatry, so I try to be careful about my goals in this area.