"I'm the captain of my soul."

*Typical conversation at Hermana Reed's house during High School*:

Me: Mom, can I go hang out with my friends?

My Mom: Have you finished all your homework and studied?

Me:....no...

My Mom: Well then you can't go out until you have done that.

Me: But mom!!!! We are going to watch this sweet movie and ALL my friends will be there!!

My Mom: Just finish your homework and then you can go.

Me: You're so unreasonable! None of my other friends have to do their homework first!

My Mom: I just want what is best for you. You'll come to realize how important your education is. 

*The night ends with me being super dramatic, storming off to my room, finishing my homeworking, and later going out with my friends.*

I learned so much from my parents through temper tantrums experiences like these. One thing in particular is that my mom is always right. Second, she was totally right when she said I'd come to realize how important education is.  Our Heavenly Father has each given us this life to learn and to gain knowledge and experiences that only we can learn. The Lord even tells us how important it is to learn when He says, "Whatever principle of intelligence we attain unto in this life, it will rise with us in the resurrection." We can't take anything else with us, except what is in our minds. That's pretty important stuff.

A principle that is important to understand is that YOU are in charge of your education. No one else can obtain it for you. Elder Oaks stated, "Beyond increasing our occupational qualifications, we should desire to learn how to become more emotionally fulfilled, more skilled in our personal relationships, and better parents and citizens. There are few things more fulfilling and fun than learning something new. Great happiness, satisfaction, and financial rewards come from this. An education is not limited to formal study. Lifelong learning can increase our ability to appreciate and relish the workings and beauty of the world around us. This kind of learning goes well beyond books and a selective use of new technology, such as the Internet. It includes artistic endeavors. It also includes experiences with people and places: conversations with friends, visits to museums and concerts, and opportunities for service. We should expand ourselves and enjoy the journey." I couldn't agree more with Elder Oaks, I have noticed in my own life that as I have focused on my education, I am happier, I appreciate life more, and am more filled spiritually. (For more thoughts on that read this blog post). You are the captain of your soul. 

Education changes us. The more we know the more we can do. Elder Oaks puts it this way, "Our quest for truth should be as broad as our life’s activities and as deep as our circumstances permit. A learned Latter-day Saint should seek to understand the important religious, physical, social, and political problems of the day. The more knowledge we have of heavenly laws and earthly things, the greater influence we can exert for good on those around us and the safer we will be from scurrilous and evil influences that may confuse and destroy us." Being educated doesn't mean we have to attend a top-tier school or use big, fancy words. It also doesn't mean just wordly knowledge, but an education of things spiritual too. President Gordon B. Hinckley said, "You have a mandate from the Lord to educate your minds and your hearts and your hands. The Lord has said, “Teach ye diligently . . . of things both in heaven and in the earth, and under the earth; things which have been, things which are, things which must shortly come to pass; things which are at home, things which are abroad; the wars and the perplexities of the nations, and the judgments which are on the land; and a knowledge also of countries and of kingdoms—that ye may be prepared in all things” (D&C 88:78–80)."

Heavenly Father wants us to have secular and spiritual knowledge because it determines who we will become. Education allows us become like He is. We are not alone in this journey, Elder Oaks states that,  "In our quest for truth, we need to seek the help of our loving Heavenly Father. His Spirit can direct and intensify our efforts to learn and magnify our ability to assimilate truth. This learning with the Spirit is not confined to classrooms or preparation for school examinations. It applies to everything we do in life and every place we do it—at home, at work, and at church." 

This is my little brother Chandler and I four years ago when I graduated from High School:

This is my little brother now, who graduated from High School this week:

Watching him go through school has taught me that we get better looking over time  as we place an emphasis on our education, we grow spiritually. As my brother has really grasped on to the importance of gaining personal knowledge, I have seen his spirituality increase and deepening love of things of real worth. 

I can't quite articulate how I feel about how important it is to be educated, because like many things it's just something I feel and understand through experience. I know Heavenly Father values the development of the mind because He talks about in His scriptures, and it is often mentioned by His servants, the Prophets.  With the Lord, “all things work together for [our] good” (Romans 8:28), and the education we receive in this life will determine our eternal and temporal happiness. I encourage everyone to read the talk that I quote so often by Elder Oaks, and to evaluate where you are at on your quest for truth, because you are the captain of your soul.