not a school problem, it's an attitude problem

I have heard things like this...

"Save OUR children!"
"The city of Memphis has made their own bed, so now they can just lie in it. It's not our problem."
"The news just said Memphis City Schools are open. How can that be when there is no longer any Memphis City Schools?"

But, then I read things like this...

4 This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5 “Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. 6 Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. 7 Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” Jeremiah 29:4-7

"Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed." Psalm 82:3

"Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves,
for the rights of all who are destitute.
Speak up and judge fairly;
defend the rights of the poor and needy." Proverbs 31:8-9

“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’
“He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ Matt 25:44-45

This is not a post about the rights and the wrongs on the surrender of the MCS' charter. This is not a post about where the fault started in the schools. This is not a post about how the charter surrendered is being handled or will be handled.

This is a post about attitude.

The statements I started this post with are statements that I have heard from Christians over the course of the month. And I find it heartbreaking.

As a church family, The Orchard Fellowship, has an ongoing relationship with Ross Elementary, a Memphis city school. They did not even have the funding for a copy machine. And if they were given a copy machine, there is no money for paper. Basic needs of a school, copier and paper, right?

I was so proud of our church family as they gave of their time, talents and money to help Ross. I am thankful for what we have seen God do and what we hope He will allow us to continue to help Him do at Ross.

I have been burdened for the city's education crisis. If the government mandates that public education should be given freely to all, then is it right to assume that it should be the same level of education across the board? If you have have more money and live in a more affluent area, do you have more of a right to better public education? I don't think so. Maybe you have more of an entitlement to a better private education then a public one, I guess.

I don't have the answer to the crisis in Memphis' public education. I do know that if education in the city continues to go down, then that means that poorly educated children will one day become poorly educated adults. And that means for those adults, they will have a hard time finding a good job. That means we have more less educated adults than we have educated ones. Crime rises. Businesses leave our city. More jobs lost.

And that will affect you no matter where you live, suburbs or city.

My prayer for me right now is that God will give me a selfless heart. A heart that is burdened for the poor and needy. A heart that loves my children, but also fights for the rights of others' children. A heart that believes that no matter what the situation is that God can and will work through any situation. A heart that knows that God will get His glory no matter the outcome. A heart the desires to please and glorify God through MY attitude and actions.