The greatest gift we can give our children is to develop in them spiritual “eyes” through which they see everything God has created them to be as well as all the experiences He allows into their lives as clues to their calling—shaping instruments to prepare them to fulfill the unique part God has prepared for them to play in His redemptive plan. Rather than try to educate by conforming the child to a generic curriculum and make the curriculum god, the curriculum should serve the child in preparing him for his unique life purpose. The following principles guide us:

 

            1. The Bible is the source of all truth. Students must be trained to correctly handle the “Word of Truth” and to be able to answer anyone for the hope which they have.

 

2. Foundational skills (reading, language arts, math, science, etc.) are rigorously taught to provide a solid foundation, but only as far as they equip our children to think independently and “not be dependent upon anybody.” (For example, in math, our children might never learn algebra—gasp! if they should decide to pursue missions or journalism. They might use that time allotment instead to further pursue language study or writing and research skills. But if they were going to become a skilled carpenter, we might swing things to the reverse to equip them for that direction. The main thing is to seek the Lord’s guidance for equipping adequately, yet using time wisely and not requiring a subject be mastered simply because it is part of a typical scope and sequence that may have little to do with the purposes God has for your child.)

 

3. Primary emphasis is placed on process skills such as reading, research/inquiry, writing, logical thinking, and speech as they are the basis of lifelong learning and equip the student to adapt and change areas of expertise as needed and as they follow the leading of the Holy Spirit. Process skills are best learned within the motivational framework of an area of high interest or passion, gaining us double reward for our time.

 

            4. Students must be trained to see that everything God has created them to be—their inborn personality, their shaping experiences, their natural abilities and learned skills, their spiritual gifts, and highly motivating interest areas are all components of the complex plan God has for each of them as it relates to their life purpose. First, students must be trained how to identify each of these components, and then trained in the process of intentionally developing each area to its fullest and how to identify future pursuits (job or ministry) that play to their strengths. This often means focusing on just a few areas of strength rather than giving equal attention to a multitude of subjects.

While at first it seems counterintuitive to focus on less than more, it has, in fact, been proven to be a more effective strategy. In the Gallup Organization’s 30 year research project of individually interviewing over two million people, they discovered that “once a person has an area of competency, . . . [it] provides a framework for acquiring new knowledge and understanding. A lot of knowledge about one subject offers the integrating point for all other knowledge. Strengths develop best when sufficient time is devoted to a single subject or goal.” (Soar With Your Strengths by Clifton and Nelson, Delacorte Press, 1992).

We are all part of the greatest drama in the world where each person has been cast in a vital role and Cultivate Your Calling is a process to help each individual recognize the intentions of the Director and how best they can masterfully play their intended part.