http://www.eaglesnesthome.com


http://eaglesnesthome.weebly.com


Wisdom Literature

Fall, 2009

Melissa Morgan


In this Reflection Paper, I evaluated my learning in my first course at GBS, Wisdom Literature.


Part 1 Affective Objectives

As a parent homeschooling a child with special needs, I have had opportunity to experience both the pain and the joys of life. I feel that I have developed a greater ability to change my focus from negative, discouraging and depressing facts of life. Wisdom Literature has helped me to focus more on Godly, praiseworthy blessings from God. In the course, I explored concepts of evil, pain, suffering, through in depth study of the book of Job.


I especially appreciated the emphasis the course placed upon the following statements: 1. God is all powerful, bigger than my problems; He can take them away. 2. God is all wise; He never makes mistakes. 3. God is all-loving, never unkind or cruel. 4. God's ultimate goal for my life is Christ-likeness.


I feel that the course has completely met the objective, as I have learned attitudes and ways to understand and cope with life issues and pressures.


I have also learned what the Bible teaches about the nature and expression of true, biblical love. My study of Song of Solomon has given me greater knowledge in these areas. I have been married over thirty years. I had read Song of Solomon before, and had been trained as a youth in biblical concepts of marriage and dating. However, I think the course met the objective completely, as I feel that I have a deeper understanding of this objective, and I am better prepared to articulate the biblical view of true, biblical love.


Part 2 Affective Goals

Wisdom Literature has completely met the Part 2 Affective Goals, as I have increased my awareness of my responsibility to cultivate appreciation for God's wisdom, and adjust my philosophy of life to be more in line with scripture.


Here is my favorite key verse: James 1: 2-4,”Count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations, knowing this, that they trying of your faith worketh patience.”


I don't claim to have fully attained patience, but I feel that through this course, I am growing in the ability to seek Christlikeness. With God's help, I feel I can increasingly honor God more with family finances, be a greater help to my husband and, hopefully, to counsel younger women to seek God's wisdom in homeschool finances and business issues. In addition, I feel that I have learned how to walk more wisely in personal relationships, and I hope to have the opportunity to be a consultant to younger women in this area. I feel the course has completely met the affective goals.


Part 3 Cognitive and Behavior

Through Wisdom Literature, I feel God is increasing my ability to cope with pain and suffering, and also to help others. I am attempting to praise God when things go wrong, and I will continue to develop this habit.


I have been seeking the ability to praise God more fully. Following the instruction from the course, and not just reading through but praying through A Celebration of Praise, I feel that my prayer and praise has become more focused on who God is, as opposed to what I want. I feel the course has completely met these objectives.


Part 4 Institutional Objectives

Foundations and Knowledge of the Bible

Through previous lifetime learning, I already had acquired a basic knowledge of the content and purpose of Psalms, Proverbs, Job, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon. I have read the Bible in entirety, and those books many times, particularly Job. Job has always been an encouragement to me, as I've never met anyone who was as persecuted as Job; yet Job still feared and praised God. So by his example, I feel very blessed, even though I have had many struggles in life. This course has deepened and added to my understanding and ability to articulate biblical ideas, and has completely met this objective.


Christlike Attitudes and Actions

When I was considering what college to attend, I felt a strong desire to focus more on knowing Christ and becoming more like Him. For that reason, I felt that I couldn't take courses from a university that was teaching unbiblical values and theories. I have been very impressed by GBS, and I feel it has fully met the objectives to teach me Christlike attitudes and actions. I fully agree that actions flow from attitudes, and Wisdom Literature has taught me to conform my mental view, emotions and temperament into the image of Christ. Wisdom Literature has heightened my conviction of the necessity of praise, through the study materials and activities in the course, especially Dr. Brown's notes, and the book A Celebration of Praise. The activity of not only reading through but praying through the book is teaching me to bless the Lord at all times, even when I am struggling with difficult circumstances. Although becoming Christlike is a lifetime process, and I don't claim to be completely changed, I believe the course objectives have been fully met in this area as well.


Proficiency in Critical Thinking

Studying the Bible and the Wisdom Literature handouts and books, particularly Dr. Brown's notes on marriage, child rearing, and finances, has helped me to better articulate what the scripture says, and provide a more effective answer to the world's view of pain and suffering—probably the most pressing concern for most people.


I learned to recognize and counter the following unbiblical presuppositions: 1. The wrong focus is that we are owners, not managers of material goods 2. We wrongly consider that we deserve self-rights—we deserve better 3. We wrongly feel that God owes us an explanation. The incorrect focus is on the following questions, “Why me? Why now? Why this? Why won't God answer?”


Dr. Brown told the story of the man of God, who when stricken, asked, “Why NOT me?”


Through Wisdom Literature, I have learned that instead, I should focus on the following, when I encounter trials: 1. What is God teaching me? 2. How can this make me Christlike? 3. What can I be thankful for? 4. How can I show Christ to others? 5. What would Jesus think, and what would Jesus do, in this situation?


I feel more firmly grounded in the biblical view of pain and suffering, and I feel I am better able to think clearly and biblically, using the scriptures. The objective has been fully met in this area.


Part 5 Ministerial Education Division

Gain Deepening Appreciation and Knowledge of Scripture and Theology

I feel I have a greater understanding of why people suffer and how to respond when bad things happen to me, people I love, and people God leads me to counsel. I have read the Bible all my life, but I have never been pushed to study it in this depth. I especially feel that writing the papers on the Strange Woman, as well as the paper on Child Rearing and Finances, helped me to look at the scriptures more topically, and I saw relationships and concepts in verses that I had never noticed before.


I have never learned about interpretations of imprecations in Psalms: 1.Zeal for God's kingdom 2. Longing for God's righteousness 3. David, as God's ambassador 4. Hatred of sin 5. Show God's attitude to sin. I will be better able to explain the reasons for imprecations in Psalms, when I hear God's word wrongly maligned in this area. I also enjoyed studying concepts of parallelism in Hebrew poetry, which I had never heard before.


I feel Wisdom Literature has helped me gain a deepening, developing appreciation of scripture and theology, which will assist me in my current role as homeschool parent, co-op assistant teacher, and in the future as a consultant. I believe the objective was achieved, to a high degree. I hope, though the leading of the Holy Spirit and continuing my education at God's Bible School, to continue growing and conforming into the image of Christ, according to Rom.8:28-29.