Grati-Tuesday: WCA

It's Grati-Tuesday and today I am giving thanks for Westminster Christian Academy.  I never actually expected those words to come from my  mouth…but there they are.  And they are sincerely spoken. 

When my sons began attending there 6 years ago, it was against all of my "better judgement."  I bristled against the "lesser" education because it wasn't the rigorous, classical Christian approach I preferred.  I despised the excess wealth.  I scoffed at the reputation of a culture of drugs and promiscuity.  I didn't think it would be the undoing of my sons, but I certainly didn't think they would gain anything other than worldliness and cynicism by being there.  

My damn pride rears its head way too often...and it dies hard in this stubborn heart.  Either that, or I'm awfully fond of the taste of humble pie because I seem to find a way to eat it quite often.

The fact is, my Senior son, whom I admit has encountered all the things I feared, has been well-served at WCA.  Maybe not so much by the "institution" per se, but by individual teachers…3 in particular.  A 9th grade teacher who let Eric and a friend invade his daily lunch hour just to hang out with him, had a profound effect on decisions Eric has made throughout the years.  This year, his Worldviews and Biology teachers have helped him navigate the waters of doubt.  They not only let him, but encouraged him to ask hard questions.  They set opposing ideas in front of him and weren't afraid  to let him wrestle with truth…and with the God of truth.  

But it's not just about letting him think…and doubt…and question.  It is primarily about leading him away from unbelief toward belief.   Eric recently confessed that he had entered this year unsure of the existence of God…not even sure he wanted to believe he existed.  But through the words and deeds of these teachers, he heard the Gospel in a way that struck a chord in his heart and turned him from unbelief to belief.  

It goes to show me - once again - that the Lord's ways are not mine.  I was sure that my son's primary influence toward trusting in Christ would come through the home and through the church.  Well…I was wrong.  Again.  For whatever reason, the Spirit of God chose to open his eyes through teachers at a school where I was determined he didn't belong.  That's not to negate the impact that either home or church have had in his life, but the primary means of grace and enlightenment came from outside either of those.

All I can say is, I am humbled and I am truly grateful for servants of God like Dan Burke, Jason Wilkins, and Dr. Winchester, by whose faithful lives and service  the Spirit stirred up faith in my son's heart.  

Thanks be to God.