School can sometimes be boring. Going to class every day (whether you want to or not) and doing homework as soon as you get home might be much less immediately interesting than going out with friends or playing video games. Skipping school can be a constant temptation, and when most of the jobs open to teenagers pay poorly, it can sometimes be difficult to work up enthusiasm to train for jobs. Still, is it really worth graduating from high school and then going on to do even more schooling in college or a vocational school?
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, also known as the Mormon Church, teaches that the glory of God is intelligence. God would have us progress in mind, body, and spirit. He would have us be eager to learn because learning is a reward in and of itself. We should seek out things that interest us and about which we can get excited. As youth, we should be aware of what is going on in the world. We should be aware of changes in technology. We should seek learning out of the best books, and we should be open to opinions that we don’t agree with. Discussion is a catalyst of discovery. We should seek to expand our minds with science, with math, with languages—all truth is valuable knowledge. Because Mormons believe that life continues after death on this earth, knowledge is one of the few things we can take with us, and gains value from this perspective.
Thes study of spiritual things through meditation and scripture study is just as important as studying secular subjects. It is not enough to have faith in Jesus Christ; we must follow His commandments, andwe learn of His commandments by reading the scriptures. Spiritual knowledge is essential; more important than any other knowledge we can obtain. Through study of the scriptures, we learn more of our Heavenly Father and of His Son, Jesus Christ. We can build a strong relationship with them. The scriptures contain the things that God considers important for us to know.
Mormons have more books of scripture than most other faiths because they believe in continuing revelation. God has not stopped speaking to mankind through prophets and even through personal revelation. Studying the scriptures daily, combined with daily prayer, brings a power and protection against temptation and trials.
All truth points to God, whether it is a math proof or the workings of the human body. Knowledge is power because it is truth. We should never stop learning, even if we have graduated from a prestigious college. Those who choose not to attend college are in no way inferior to those who have the opportunity to attend and can still learn on their own, as each of us should strive to do.