The True Pathway Out of Poverty
God established a testimony in Jacob and set up a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers to teach to their children so that a future generation — children yet to be born — might know. They were to rise and tell their children so that they might put their confidence in God and not forget God’s works, but keep his commands. Psalms 78:5-7
Nevaeh is a third-grade girl whom we have come to love and pray for her to overcome the challenges of learning disabilities and to succeed in school. Tabitha, her mother, has shared with us her educational concerns for Nevaeh and asked us to pray for her. Tabitha never finished high school. But now she is nearing the completion of her GED, which she has strived hard to get for several years as she works at Kroger’s.
Tabitha is a single mom working to do all she can so that Nevaeh can have the best future. Giving her daughter the support and encouragement she needs will help her with her education to move out of poverty. Getting a good education is the key to getting out of poverty.
Last Wednesday I listened to a great story of success from Gene Russell, a dad who raised two children on his own after his wife’s death. Gene affectionately called them his “Irish twins,” a slang expression for siblings born less than a year apart from each other. His son and daughter, who were ten months apart, were only nine years old when their mom died. I can only begin to imagine how devastating losing their mother was to them. In spite of all the challenges of raising children by himself as he struggled in poverty, he encouraged his son and daughter to do their best in school, to graduate from high school, and go on to college. Today they both have successful careers. His daughter married her childhood sweetheart and they have been able to purchase their own home.
My wife Debby, in her many years teaching elementary children, has seen too many children whose parents do not see the value of education. Even more concerning is that these parents do not see the value of a moral and spiritual education. These children will not have the tools for making a success of their lives. They are prone to the dangers of succumbing to drug addiction and crime. We want to commend the successful efforts of Gene for his children and the efforts Tabitha is making for her daughter to succeed in school. We also seek to encourage the adults who do not have their high school diplomas to obtain their GED as Tabitha is doing.
Education is the pathway out of poverty. But with academic education, we also need moral and spiritual education to truly succeed in life. The pathway of real success is paved with a biblical foundation of God’s truth and moral commandments. We need to know and teach God’s path to our children, Psalm 78 tells us all to teach our children “so that they might put their confidence in God and not forget God’s works, but keep his commands.”
CCDC encourages people to take the path God has for them. God can inspire them and empower them to make a success of their lives beyond what they can ever imagine. Join us in supporting our efforts to point people to God and his path of true success.
May God’s peace be with you,
Pastor Jim and Debby Riley