Why Wait?

In October 2013, the Lumina Foundation released a report on a national study of adult learners.  Their report examined expectations, attitudes and needs of adults learners considering going back to school.  One of the main findings reveals that adults desire to complete their degrees someday but are concerned about their ability to judge family, work and school at the same time.

For most adult learners, family and work must take priority over school.  Children need to eat.  Bills must be paid.  Suddenly, the phrase “I’ll take a semester off” turns into years.  One day, everything in life line up perfectly and one will be able go to back to school, right?  Life works out that way for some.  However, listen to the stories of graduates and learn about the many friends, family, and co-workers who provided encouragement, study groups, tutoring, babysitting, carpools, etc., to help them reach their goals.  It is the community the surrounds and supports an adult learner that makes the difference.

The idea of community support is not new to us.  It is how God intended for us to live: as the body of Christ.  Galatians 6:2 says “Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ.”  Why put off today what you can accomplish tomorrow with a little assistance?  Who needs your encouragement and support in order to achieve their goals?

You never know what might be going on behind the scene in the lives of people we interact with.  This week, I complimented a Belhaven student on her new hair cut.  This working mom, on her way to class, decided to stop and tell me a story.  Unlike traditional students, an adult leaner does not have the ability to put their live on hold while attending school.  They have to juggle work and family while trying to maintain good grades.  For this student, juggling also included caring for her mom who was recently diagnosed with breast cancer.  Her hair cut was a commitment she made to grow together with her mom as she fights the disease.

 

In times when we are faced with adversity, it is easy to give up.  But the God who began a good work in us will equip us to finish strong.  It is by His power that we overcome.  Stories like this inspire us to persevere.  This is one of the many stories of students who will not let circumstances delay their dreams of completing their degree.