At one point in our lives, we have probably all been told to take our vitamins. Maybe you were one of the lucky ones who had Flintstone vitamins when you were young. Our family rarely took vitamins, but when we did, they definitely were not the fun ones. When my sister, Jessica, and I encountered Flintstone vitamins we thought we were eating candy. Now that’s a great way to get kids to take their vitamins—haha!
Did you ever wonder what vitamins were made of? Could you describe their properties and benefits? If not, I invite you to visit Rwanda and ask one of our Senior One students to give you a lesson. They recently split into teams and developed class presentations about vitamins—and I learned a lot! In our new secondary school, we have a very strong science program with physics, chemistry and biology labs. I remember being in the biology lab when our students were using microscopes and realizing how rare it was to have that type of equipment in a village where many people live without running water.
The vitamin class also reminded me of the importance of “spiritual vitamins.” As I reflect on the times in my life when I experienced the most spiritual growth, I remember starting the day with a healthy dose of prayer and scripture reading. Sometimes, the words of God were hard to swallow. Other times, it was like eating candy. Either way, it was always good for me and we all need to make sure we schedule consistent time with God.
Saint Paul encouraged his young protégé, Timothy, to regularly digest the Bible. He wrote, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 2:16-17). Without God’s Word, where would we go for direction, hope and inspiration?
One final note: I am especially grateful for our three youngest children, Tiffany, Lindsay and Jack, who have invested many hours in the classroom serving alongside our amazing Rwandan teachers. In the video for this week’s blog, you can see Tiffany at work, and she always does an incredible job teaching! May God help us all to take our “spiritual vitamins” regularly and to be able to pass that legacy on to the children that he has entrusted us with!