Illustration paper- March, 3, 2010

Benefits of attending the Honor Academy

The benefits of being here at the Honor Academy are many and diverse. My first main point is the importance of striving to achieve goals that are important to me. Also, my experience so far has contained the most fun nights of my life. Last, being an intern gives me the chance to attain character attributes I would never have acquired back home. All in all, coming to the Honor Academy has been one of the most beneficial decisions I have ever made. I can’t wait to see what more God has for me.

Discipline was something I lacked in desperately back at home. For example, I constantly set goals for myself that I never achieved; such as getting up early to exercise, which I never did before corporate. I also desired a deeper understanding of the world and how to approach it with a Christian foundation to counter the lies of this world. I wanted understanding, but I would never seek it. Being an intern forces me to gain that wisdom, especially and specifically in the Worldview class taught by David Hasz. I want to succeed in my classes because I work for the Lord. That means I need to read the books and attend the sessions because it is what the Lord has asked of me. Before being here at the Honor Academy, I didn’t have the conviction, ability or drive to seek wisdom.

Next, my high school years were not the picture of the perfect experience. My experience included a ridiculous amount of strife to attain acceptance from people I shouldn’t have wanted acceptance from and the disappointment in the few friends I had that didn’t deserve my resentment. This led to many nights spent in boredom and self hatred. The fun nights of hanging out with friends around a campfire and staying up all night ended around 9^th grade for me. But here at the Honor Academy, I have had the time of my life that has added up to more then my high school years ever amounted to. From going to the Dairy Palace at 2:00 in the morning to spending the night in the intern lounge watching “Pride and Prejudice” and “The Princess Bride.” I have never had more fun. Though our activities were simple and common ideas, high school doesn’t even compare. I believe it came from the atmosphere and people here drenched in God’s presence, which is where I belong.

Last, the lessons I have learned here have continued the noble effort my parents started my life off with. They were excellent at teaching me valuable lessons and adding to my character every time they saw an area in my life needing improvement. Sadly, a parents’ influence can only reach so far. God is truly given more room to work in me as an intern simply because I am exposed to his influence every day, all day long. Back at home, I was exposed to un-Godly people more often and I believe I was less open to the lessons the Lord had for me. For instance, in my English class before graduating high school, we were learning about the literary work “Beowulf.” Now where is God in that story, and how is it going to benefit who I am in Christ at all? The Honor Academy doesn’t waste my time with silly stories like that, but rather with stories of God’s people who lead me as an example of how I should react in the situations they were in, and glorify God all the while.

In conclusion, the Honor Academy has many benefits to it. Many were not mentioned here though they are not any less important or crucial to my intern year so far. I fully expect the list of benefits to grow much longer throughout the remainder of my year. I have made many important, life changing decisions, but deciding to come to the Honor Academy and being an intern here was the most beneficial of them all.