I just sent in my first graduate school application. My emotions have been fluctuating a lot over the past couple months as I've gone through the application process. At times I've been bursting with excitement at the prospect of completing a graduate program, and at other times I've wanted to just scrap my educational plans and watch episodes of Studio C in my pajamas for the rest of my life. Actually, I'll probably end up watching a lot of Studio C in my pajamas anyway, regardless of my academic status. The point is, sometimes the thought of getting an education is more than daunting. That goes without saying, especially during finals season.
We know that the Lord has commanded each of us, not just men and not just women, to get an education. We are to “seek learning, even by study and also by faith” (D&C 88:118). We are also commanded to take care of a lot of other responsibilities, like callings in the church, keeping the covenants we make with God, and sharing the gospel. On top of all of that, we are commanded to care for our physical bodies, all while dodging the endless temptations that are thrown at us by the world around us.
Things get even more complicated when we think about the greatest expectation placed upon us—that of starting and raising a family. For both mothers and fathers, the responsibilities associated with family life may seem like a barrier to continuing educational growth. Working, establishing and maintaining a home, teaching and raising children, managing family finances, etc. are all on the “must do” list. So where does education fit in? How are we supposed to live up to the commandment to “seek learning” when the demands of everyday life are so great? With all of the obligations (and blessings) we have to juggle, it can be very easy to let education take a backseat.
Here's a solution: We need to see education not as a diploma, but as a way of experiencing life.
Before I get in trouble with BYU, let me clarify that I'm not telling anyone to not work toward a diploma. Rather, I submit that education can and should happen in every aspect of life. Whether you are a stay-at-home mom, a working woman, a single college student, an older single woman, a widow with grown children, or a newlywed, education can be a part of your life each day.
There are countless ways to “get an education.” Only a few of them involve university classes and a diploma, certificate, or graduate degree. Some examples:
- learning a new skill, like cooking, plumbing, home repairs, or sewing
- developing a talent, like music, theatre, sports, or public speaking
- learning about world issues and being aware of current events
- studying a foreign language
- finding new ways to serve others, whether they be your children or people in the community
- learning about physical and mental health issues that may influence you or your family
- researching financial strategies to increase your economic stability
- studying gospel topics through the scriptures and the words of living prophets
The Lord has commanded us to “seek learning,” not to seek a degree and then be done with education. As Sister Mary N. Cook, first counselor in the Young Women general presidency, said to young women in the April 2012 General Young Women Broadcast, “Some of your most important learning will be outside of the classroom.” Getting a degree is becoming increasingly important, especially as financial demands on families increase and job opportunities decrease. However, your degree will best serve you, and all of the people with whom you interact, if you choose to get an education, not just a degree. Choose to let learning become your lifestyle and a thirst for knowledge become your attitude. We talk a lot on this blog and in other forums about empowering women. The education you choose to receive, whether at school, outside of school, or both, will have a lot to do with how “empowered” you feel now and in the future.
One last quote from Sister Mary N.Cook:
“God gave you moral agency and the opportunity to learn while on earth, and He has a work for you to do. To accomplish this work, you have an individual responsibility to seek learning. . . . 'Education . . . will open the doors of opportunity.'”
God expects His daughters (and His sons) to become like Him. That has been the plan from the beginning. He “has all power, all wisdom, and all understanding; he comprehendeth all things, and he is a merciful Being” (Alma 26:35). He wants us to experience through learning the joy that He experiences.
So while finals may seem to last forever, they don't. Education, however, can be an eternal experience.
Article by Jessica Croft
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