Philippians 4:8 speaks right to the heart of PathLight, “… whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praise worthy – think about such things.”
An education that integrates faith and learning should take this verse to heart. It speaks to the purpose of PathLight because it is about the development of a mind that embraces the heart of Christ. In all academic fields, from math to writing, there is truth, nobility, justice, purity, and beauty. Focusing on that will create transformation in the mind and the heart.
There is a correlation between what we do and what we think. And there is a correlation in how we discipline what we do (our productivity) and how we discipline our mind (our concentration).
When it comes to what we do, it’s easy to grow overwhelmed in a culture that demands us to multi-task our way through life. When we cannot juggle all the things we have to do, we feel like failures. Our productivity drops.
In the same way, it is easy for our minds to be distracted by the garbage we let in. Our concentration slips because we do not filter out the junk. The ability to distinguish between good and bad is diminished. Just as we might become confused about priorities when we over complicate our multi-tasking life, we become confused in our thought-life when we do not take time to concentrate on truth, justice, and beauty.
Thus it becomes ever more valuable to receive an education that properly integrates faith with learning. It allows us to prioritize, and it gives us tools to understand value. Integrating faith and learning teaches us how to think about the things that are true, noble, and just. The student learns how to define true from false, of course, but also to understand why truth is paramount. The pupil learns to identify beauty in art, but also sees that beauty through the eyes of God. The future leader learns how to achieve goals, but also how to let justice refine those goals.
What we do is influenced by what we think. And what we think should be influenced by the message of Philippians 4:8. That is the strength and hope of PathLight’s ministry.