Reading II Tim. 2 lately, it struck me that ‘teach’ is mentioned twice in the chapter. There is something about teaching, passing on instruction, that Paul valued and urged Timothy to engage in it. Then elsewhere there is specific instruction that older women should teach the younger. Because teaching is mentioned more than once, it deserves attention.

This is an issue to me for several reasons. My Amish/Mennonite background is very practical, very hands-on, very useful. This is wonderful for many reasons. But I think we are not doing so well at teaching life concepts and spiritual truths so that we can effectively keep on doing and working and being practical in fleshing out our deeper spiritual beliefs.

There is a reason that the Mormon young people meet at 5 every morning to study and be instructed. There is a reason that the Puritans (and others) learned the catechism. There is a reason we prioritize Christian education for children. There is more power in teaching/learning/studying than some of want to think, or than we have been accustomed to thinking.

What to do with that? I don’t know. I’m only a budding TEFL teacher. And a writer of one book. And preparing to teach a young women’s class at Calvary Bible School for 6 wks, starting in Feb.

But I think there is something powerful behind the instruction to teach others about the faith that is precious to us. I prob. tend to swing to the extreme of thinking that more knowledge is more power, that more information is better than less information, that studying and reading is better than playing or putting in time. I know that education is not the answer to the world’s ills. But I think a better-informed heart can make wiser life decisions. This is what I want for myself, and for those I love, and for those coming after me. I don’t know where it will take me, but I care very much about God’s people becoming better trained, better equipped to do His business.