[Day 3] Education for the Whole Person – Education of the Body
The meaning of education (perfecting, cultivation): is to develop, cultivate, and perfect the innate functions and potentialities of God’s creation. Education is not only the transmission of knowledge and the cultivation of skills, but also the realization, development, cultivation, and perfection of God’s created and man’s innate potentials, including the instincts and potentials of the spirit, soul, and body. There are three parts of man – spirit, soul, and body – each with its own innate function. The human body has its functions, for example, the feet can stand and walk, and the hands can hold things and do many things; With the proper education and training, a person can stand and walk, and hold things and do many things. The human soul also has its functions, for example, the mind can comprehend, memorize, and think, the emotions can love and hate, and the will can choose and decide; with proper education and training, a person can comprehend, remember, think, love and hate, and have a strong will. The human spirit also has its functions, such as its ability to contact God and to contain God; with proper training and practice, man can grow in life and have a keen and rich sense of life. I hope we can all realize the meaning of education.
Parents should have a comprehensive and balanced education and training for their children, that is, a comprehensive balance of moral, intellectual, physical, and social development, that is, considering the needs of their spirit, soul, and body, so that they will be fully perfected and developed. Virtue is moral education, so our children must be moral. Man is not cattle, animal or livestock; for the characteristic of man is that he has a sense of morality and a sense of shame. And the sense of morality and shame is linked to the human spirit; therefore, if man wants to have a sense of morality and shame, he must cultivate and educate the human spirit appropriately. Wisdom is intellectual education, which is linked to the human soul; body is physical education, which is linked to the human body; and community is group living, which is linked to the social nature of human beings. Therefore, if we want to consider the moral, intellectual, physical, and social aspects, we must consider the needs of the spirit, soul, body, and community, so that the children can be fully developed and educated. Our children must have a comprehensive shepherding and development.
“Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price. So then glorify God in your body.” (1 Cor. 6:19-20). Today, the Holy Spirit dwells in our spirit, and our spirit is in the deepest part of our body; therefore, our body is not only the temple of our spirit, but also the temple of the Holy Spirit who dwells in our spirit. In fact, our body is also the temple of our soul, because our spirit and our soul are in our body. As you can see, our body is very important, and it needs to grow normally, to be healthy and strong, and to be well taken care of. The Holy Spirit is in our spirit (Rom. 8:16), and our spirit is in our body, so our body becomes the temple of the Holy Spirit, its dwelling place. ” For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, even as Christ also the church” (Eph. 5:29). For a child’s body to grow normally, to be healthy and strong, and to be maintained and cared for, it needs to have a physical education. This is very important.
The education of the body can be summarized into four aspects: first, recognizing the developmental pattern of the child’s body; second, meeting the needs of the child’s body; the child’s body has different needs at different stages. Third, to assist in the child’s development; as a child’s development and growth is their own growth. You cannot help a seedling to grow by pull it, likewise, you cannot force a child to grow up out of his or her natural boundaries. We are only there to help them grow. Fourth, we should help our children to develop the functions of their body parts. Modern society is very different from ancient society; ancient society was mainly manual labor, but in modern society, due to industrialization, commercialization, and artificial intelligence, manual labor is becoming less and less present. However, God said to Adam, ” By the sweat of your face…” (Gen. 3:19); therefore, boys especially need to use physical strength and sweat more. In the modern world, boys need to exercise and perform more physical work. In fact, it is healthy to sweat regularly. We should do our best to let children exercise regularly such as playing sports. We should not be afraid for our children to sweat. Rather, we should encourage them to exercise and sweat more.
