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An open letter to a number of relatives and family friends…

Dear collegiate seeker,

When we spoke with your parents recently, they told us of your plans to attend college this fall. We wish we could be as happy about the decision as you are. College may be appropriate for some adults, but we see more pertinent needs in your life than additional formal education.

In the many years we have fellowshipped with your family we have seen no evidence in you of a servant’s heart, despite the fact that you see it abundantly displayed in the lives of your parents. While the world values academic success and is loath to engage in acts of service, your unwillingness to serve indicates a lack of maturity. College, with all its emphases on freedom, fun, and self-fulfillment will not produce this wisdom. Despite the fact that adults who have never learned to sacrificially serve may attain employment, even marry and raise a family, their self-serving, self-centered lives lead to a narcissistic existence.

[While service is never a means of salvation, as we are saved by grace and not by works; it is certainly a sign of salvation. So why is this a common weak spot in the Christian church? The New Testament is replete with ‘one another’ verses, one significant verse is found in Galatians, “through love serve one another”. Service can take many forms. It can be the paint on the hands, mud on the knees variety, or it can be an invitation to dinner. Regardless of the form, service means giving up what you want and doing what others need. It is rarely glamorous, often involves sacrifices of time and treasures, and is frequently goes unnoticed. And we hate that, especially the unnoticed part. So while we seek our own glory, the task of service is ignored.]

In the ideal world, your passion for God’s glory and His pleasure would be motivation aplenty to continuously be in some sort of service. However, at this time, that does not appear to be the case. Still, were the improbable to happen and you were to become our child you would find that we take seriously the teaching of Proverbs, “The hand of the diligent will rule, while the slothful will be put to forced labor.” Since you have not, as yet, learned to serve diligently, instead of college, we would be investing in a unique, individualized course of instruction.