Insights

No one can deny that school years are foundational. Though they span a relatively short period, their impact is profound. As I watch crews prepare the foundation for our new building, it is easy to draw comparisons.

Last week, workers installed 38 footings at the site of our upcoming academic building. Each hole measured 10' x 10' and was about 5' deep. Crews placed a metal cage into each excavation before pouring concrete to complete the footing. Upon these hidden footings, the entire building will sit.

According to Google, “Without strong footings, a structure can sink, shift, crack, or suffer a catastrophic collapse.”

Crafting these vital structural elements requires immense planning, effort, and skill; yet once the building is in place, they will never be seen again.

Integrity works much the same way. Living with integrity protects us from sinking, shifting, cracking, or suffering a catastrophic collapse, yet the hard work required to build it mostly goes unseen.

Raising children is similarly focused on hidden foundational work rather than the "sexier" elements visible to everyone. In fact, building a foundation is often messy. (I’ve learned the hard way not to wear white sneakers when touring the construction site!)

This year, as we focus on matters of the heart, I encourage you to get messy with us. Be willing to dig deep and challenge the lies that you and your children might believe about the world, yourselves, and God. Reframe misconceptions through the lens of biblical truth. Teach and embrace the overarching biblical narrative—Creation, Fall, Redemption, and Restoration—and discuss how this truth ought to shape our deepest desires.

If the biblical story does not shape our thoughts, desires, and habits, the world's narrative will quickly sweep us away; a story focused on clean white sneakers rather than solid, often hidden, concrete.

“Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel.” Phil 1:27