Romans 12:16 – “Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits.”
We as a foundational society of farmers, tradespeople, and truckers are at the crossroad of change. The traditional belief and teaching have identified education as a contributor of Pride. Thus, to avoid pride, we avoid education. Part of this problem is compounded with the idiom expressed in, “Which came first, the chicken or the egg?”
In the modest-sized society we are a part of, we have many, many examples of leaders who have gone before. Some are retired. Others have gone to their reward. Some have faced the stigma of perceived wrongdoing in their choice of occupation for much, or all, of their life.
Pride is a heart issue. It’s an “inside” issue. If we could keep it there, we would have a relatively short discussion. We would deal with the heart. Pride as it pertains to education has a lot of us confused. As a result of this confusion, we stereotype advanced education as a door to pride.
II Timothy 2:15 – “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” Learning with a heart that’s humble will typically lead to an awareness of how little we really know.
In II Timothy 3:7 we are admonished “Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.” This scripture displays a clear example of learning becomingthe focus. That is a trap.
When we, in all and any occupations, lose sight of the heavenly calling, whether we are a mechanic, teacher, farmer or builder, it is we who have lost our vision of the heavenly calling. Our occupation did not lose the vision. We did. The school board has issues with our attitude. Our farms become lopsided. We stop our truck at truck stops in seedy areas of town. Our truck doesn’t decide where to stop. Our farm doesn’t buy another section of land. The quality of homes we build doesn’t constitute pride. Our education does not make us arrogant and lofty. We do that. It is in the heart.
“The truth shall set you free.” We need to change our attitude of putting the badge of Pride onto people who are called of God to serve in areas that require an education. We need to encourage young people to be humble, to be grounded spiritually, so that God can use them in the calling He has for them. A college degree may pollute some to be prideful. Maybe their grandpa planted the root of pride sixty years earlier. And the father didn’t eradicate it. Now the college degree gets the blame.
